The purpose of this scoping review is to analyse the literature concerning principals’ problems and challenges, beginning in 2003 and ending in 2019. The research team conducted an extensive search to locate relevant academic literature, comprising 17 years of research, and a total of 153 documents were analysed. According to the findings, most of the documents (71%) correspond to the last six years (2014–2019), and most are studies from Anglo-Saxon countries (55%). The results point to eight main categories related to the complex nature of the job (the management challenge, the complexity challenge and the learning challenge), and interactions with different stakeholders (problems with educational authorities and educational policy; the staff and teaching process; the students; the families and the school community; and the society). Although the importance given to each category varies from one context to another, problems concerning the complex nature of the job and with the educational authorities and the educational policy are the most recurrent. A significant increase in the number and complexity of problems and challenges throughout the times was noticed, which seems to enhance the need for changes in educational policies and the careful design and implementation of leadership training programmes.
Early childhood education on sustainability has been an issue of high relevance in the last decade. In Spain, many different efforts have been made to increase children’s knowledge, skills, and awareness related to sustainability issues. However, uncertainty about the effectiveness of education on sustainable development exists. This research reports on an exploratory study organized by the association that promotes aluminum packaging recycling in Spain (Arpal). Seven teachers were trained on sustainability in general and on aluminum packaging recycling in particular. These teachers defined and implemented a teaching unit with active learning activities that involved three preschools. Fifty-four children under 6 years of age, mainly 2 and 3 years old, along with their parents, participated in the teaching unit. Qualitative and quantitative methods (questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus groups) were carried out to assess the impact. The results proved that different partners, such as children, parents, teachers, managers, and associations, can work together with the common goal of improving education on sustainable development in early childhood, and all of them benefit from this collaboration. Moreover, this study confirmed that education on sustainability should be embedded in the daily routine of preschools. Furthermore, after the exploratory study, the teaching unit was implemented in 29 Andalusian preschools.
Worldwide, leadership stories are narratives of principals facing very different problems. The purpose of this study was to identify the current problems faced by Portuguese school principals, through these actors' voice. Nineteen public school Portuguese principals participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, coded, and categorised using Nvivo11 Pro. The analysis revealed that Portuguese principals have the same problems as their colleagues worldwide, but there are problems specifically related to the Portuguese educational system: problems from the process of school clustering and the leader-centred system of school management of this country. A framework to analyse the emerged problems and practical recommendations are proposed for school leaders, researchers, and policymakers to improve educational leadership.
El liderazgo en los centros educativos ha de tener cada vez más en cuenta el papel de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, como medio para mejorar las organizaciones. En consecuencia, el objetivo de la presente investigación es analizar las historias de vida de 5 líderes educativos en 5 contextos diferentes: España, Guatemala, Chile, Kazajistán y Estados Unidos; y describir cómo las nuevas tecnologías se engarzan con sus prácticas de liderazgo. La metodología es cualitativa usando como instrumento entrevistas semiestructuradas recogidas entre 2012 y 2018 en los distintos entornos. Se ofrecen ejemplos de líderes, sus prácticas de liderazgo y, particularmente, el papel de los medios tecnológicos en su gestión del cambio. Los resultados revelan prácticas directivas similares y ajustadas a lo descrito previamente por la literatura académica, y muestran asimismo cómo liderazgo y tecnología se afectan mutuamente.Leadership in educational centers must increasingly consider the role of advanced information technologies to improve organizations. Consequently, the objective of this research is to analyze the life histories of 5 educational leaders in 5 different contexts: Spain, Guatemala, Chile, Kazakhstan and the United States; and describe how new technologies are linked with their leadership practices. The methodology is qualitative using as instrument semi-structured interviews collected between 2012 and 2018 in different environments. Examples of leaders, their leadership practices and, mainly, the role of technological media in their change management are offered. The results reveal similar management practices and adjusted to what was previously described by the academic literature, and also show how leadership and technology affect each other.
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