scholarly journals Lessons from leading through COVID-19: Secondary principals’ perspectives

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Kate Thornton

School principals were required to engage in crisis leadership throughout New Zealand’s first COVID-19 Alert Level Four lockdown that began in March 2020. Eighteen school principals from a range of secondary schools were interviewed about their experiences and the findings of this study are discussed in relation to the leadership capability framework. This research reveals that principals acted with empathy in prioritising wellbeing over learning, demonstrated community responsiveness by using multiple ways of communicating, encouraged collective leadership, led with optimism, demonstrated resilience, and took opportunities to shift practice in their schools.

Author(s):  
Kate Thornton

School principals were required to engage in crisis leadership throughout New Zealand’s first seven-week COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. Eighteen school principals from a range of secondary schools were interviewed about their experiences. The challenges they faced included preparing students and teachers for online teaching and learning for an unknown length of time, supporting student and staff wellbeing, and communicating clearly and compassionately to all stakeholder groups. Their opportunities related to strengthening digital teaching and learning, distributing leadership and resetting direction. This study identifies a number of implications for future crisis leadership practice including: preparing, attending to wellbeing, communicating effectively, leading collaboratively and taking opportunities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Melesse ◽  
Mulu Melesse

The purpose of this study was to assess practitioners’ perceived involvement and challenges they encountered in the process of curriculum development in Secondary schools of Amhara Sayintworeda. Mixed research design was employed to provide answer to the basic questions of this research. The sample consisted of 125 secondary school teachers, 3 school principals, 4 vice principals, and 1 supervisor. Proportional random sampling technique was used to select the sample teachers and comprehensive sampling technique was used to select the sample school principals, vice principals, and the supervisor. The data was collected through questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The collected data was analyzed using percentage, one sample t-test and thematic description. The findings indicated low practitioners’ perceived involvement in all the curriculum development phases other than curriculum implementation. Absence of financial and material incentives and practitioners’ lack of motivation were considered as the major inhibiting factors for practitioners’ involvement in the different phases of the curriculum development process. On the basis of the major findings, relevant recommendations are suggested in the paper.


Author(s):  
Shiveh Sivalingam ◽  
Suhaida Abdul Kadir ◽  
Navaratnam Vejaratnam ◽  
Soaib Asimiran

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (31) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Samuel N. Njathi ◽  
Boniface Ngaruiya ◽  
Paul Maithya

This paper is a report of a study carried out to establish the relationship that existed between principals’ Perception towards computer application and the actual computer use by principals in public secondary schools in Kiambu County. Computer use in schools administration is a contemporary issue in the improvement of quality leadership in schools. The study was triggered by the need for effective leadership in schools which would lead to improved academic performance in Kiambu County, a county surrounding the Kenyan capital city of Nairobi.. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The target population for this study was 307 principals of public secondary schools in Kiambu County. The study sample comprised of 205 principals which translated to 67% of the target population. Simple randomand purposive sampling techniques were used in the selection of the respondents. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Relationship between the two variables under study was established by use of spearman rho. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Chi- square test of independence through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) were used to test the null hypotheses. The study found out that principal’s attitude towards use of computers influenced the use of computers among school principals. The study recommended that the MOE in collaboration TSC to mount regular ICT workshops to sensitize school principals on the need to use computers in school administration with a view of changing their attitudes towards computer use.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Amos Oyetunde Alabi ◽  
Jesujoba Oluwadara Alabi

This paper discusses the duties and responsibilities of secondary school principals and teachers.  The paper adopts the template of Gulick and Urwick (1937) on the functions of the chief executive of an establishment/institution to highlight the duties and responsibilities of secondary school principals and teachers.  The acronym of the template is POSDCORB which means: Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting.  Principals are the chief executives of secondary schools while the teachers are potential administrators of secondary schools as well hence the application of the template to both of them and more even at their present state/level the template is very relevant to them.  If the principals and teachers understand very well their duties and responsibilities as presented in this paper and do them accordingly, there will be peaceful, harmonious relationship and coexistence within the school and outside the school communities. The schools will be conducive for academic progress of the students and for the professional development of the teachers.  The schools will become ideal, perfect and desired community for everyone to live and contribute to the development of the larger community. The paper highlights some policy issues to be considered and put in place in support of the teachers and principals.


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