ABSTRACT

In view of the ever-increasing responsibilities of school leaders (the term ‘school leader’ in this chapter is used as synonymous with principal, head teacher, administrator or other term describing the person who is in charge of an individual school) for ensuring and enhancing the quality of schools, school leadership has recently become one of the central concerns of educational policy makers. At the beginning of the new century, there is broad international agreement about the need for school leaders to have the capacities required to improve teaching, learning, and pupils’ development and achievement. Consequently, in many countries, the development of school leaders is high on the agenda of politicians of different political wings. A major focus of professional development programs in many countries is the establishment and modification of training and development opportunities.