New Publication by IOE Staff Members

A collective article by Nadezda Bysik, Katsiaryna Kukso, Natalia Isaeva, Nadezhda Evstigneeva and others has been published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Education. The issue is dedicated to the first results of the international comparative research ‘7 System Leadership Study’.

The research ‘7 System Leadership Study’ explores the way in which education systems in different parts of the world train and develop school leaders. Alma Harris, Professor at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning, Visiting Professor at the Institute of Education, is the head of the project. Russia joined it in 2014 during a conference in Malaysia.

It’s the first time in 20 years that such a large-scale empirical study has been done in Russia. The research has been carried out by the IOE Center of Leadership Development in Education.

The article, dubbed ‘A missing link? Contemporary insights into principal preparation and training in Russia’, features results of the quantitative research of several regions of Russia. Analysis of the data helped the authors assert that Russian schools principals pay less attention to the management of the educational process, and their training needs modernization.

Abstract

Over the last decade, the Russian education system has undergone a significant transformation, which has radically changed the expectations placed on school principals. This current reform process has placed far greater responsibility on principals to secure the school effectiveness and improve the results of student studies. This article offers some insights into the way in which principals in Russia are currently prepared and trained. It outlines initial quantitative findings in a population of Russian principals, as part of a contemporary, large-scale empirical study of principal leadership preparation and training. The emerging empirical evidence highlights that the new standards for principals and training requirements in Russia reinforce “managerial approaches” that do not necessarily meet the needs of principals.

For further information about the centre please see the webpage.