There is great interest in
educational management and leadership in the early part of the twenty-first
century. This is because of the widespread belief that the quality of
leader-ship makes a significant difference to school and student outcomes. In
many parts of the world, including both developed and developing countries,
there is recognition that schools require effective leaders and managers if they
are to provide the best possible education for their students and learners. As
the global economy gathers pace, more governments are realizing that their main
assets are their people and that remaining, or becoming, competitive depends
increasingly on the development of a highly skilled workforce. This requires
trained and committed teachers but they, in turn, need the leadership of highly
effective principals with the support of other seniors and mid managers.
Educational leadership and management are fields of study and practice concerned
with the operation of schools and other educational organizations.
Bolam (1999: 194) defines educational management as ‘an executive function for
carrying out agreed policy’. From an Indian perspective, Sapre (2002: 102)
states that ‘management is a set of activities directed towards efficient and
effective utilization of organizational resources in order to achieve
organizational goals.
Glatter (1979: 16) argues that management studies are concerned with ‘the
internal operation of educational institutions, and also with their
relationships with their environment, that is, the communities in which they are
set, and with the governing bodies to which they are formally responsible’. In
other words, managers in schools and colleges have to engage with both internal
and external audiences in leading their institutions. This statement delineates
the boundaries of educational management but leaves open questions about the
nature of the subject.
Leadership is often linked to school improvement. Almost two decades ago, Beare
et al. stressed its importance: Outstanding leadership has invariably emerged as
a key characteristic of outstanding schools. There can no longer be doubt that
those seeking quality in education must ensure its presence and that the
development of potential leaders must be given high priority. (1992: 99,
emphasis added)This normative statement has been echoed by many researchers, and
by policy-makers.