School Head’s in the 21’st Century

Core Functions of Leadership in Schools

As a school leader, a principal is expected to function in many different ways. Let us first look at leadership in its broadest sense. A good guide for you is the model developed by Thomas Sergiovanni (2001) which give us a picture of the essential components of leadership. There are seven core functions of leadership in schools.

In a study by the Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington (2003) titled “ Making Sense of Leading Schools: A study of the School Principalship,” these functions were expounded as follows:

Strategic Leadership – promoting vision, mission and goals – and developing a means to reach them.

Instructional Leadership – ensuring quality of instruction, modeling, teaching practice, supervising curriculum, and ensuring quality of teaching resources.

Managerial Leadership – overseeing the operations of the school ( its budget, schedule, facilities, safety and security, and transportation).

Human Resources Leadership – recruiting, hiring, firing, inducting, and mentoring teachers and administrators; developing leadership capacity and professional development opportunities.

Cultural Leadership – tending to the symbolic resources of the school (its traditions, climate, and history).

Micropolitical Leadership – buffering and mediating internal interests while maximizing resources (financial and human).

External Development Leadership – representing the school in the community, developing capital, tending to public relations, recruiting students, buffering and mediating external interests, and advocating for the school’s interests.

Source: SEAMEO INNOTECH