Professional Development for Leaders and Managers of Self-Governing Schools

Today, the self-governing schools (SGS) have become a global phenomenon. It has liberated school heads from the bureaucratic shackles, making them leaders in their own right. Accordingly, the principal’s role has undergone the most radical transformation and has been widely acknowledged as the vanguard of stability and the agent of change in creating effective schools. As the CEO, the principal has to develop a shared vision with the capacity to incorporate diverse leadership styles such as Transformational, Distributed, Shared and Strategic. Under the SGS model the governing body formulates school policies in consultation with the principal, making him/her responsible and accountable for implementation. However, to face the new challenges posed by the SGS model (otherwise known as Site-based/School-based management (SBM) and Local management of schools (LMS)), it has become imperative that school leaders undergo further professional development in leadership and management. This is evidenced by recent research conducted in countries such as the USA, China, Australia, Japan, Sweden, Thailand and the Philippines. This book is the culmination of the author’s 34 years of research, administrative and academic experience in guiding, educating and training both aspiring and practicing educational/school leaders from around the world. It is a cutting edge response to the widely acknowledged need for further professional development in school leadership.