How the Leader Leads Now? The Impact of Educational Leadership Course on Leadership Practices of School Heads

Abstract

Despite the fact that school leadership has tremendous role in school improvement, little attention has been paid on building the capacity of head teachers in developing context especially in rural Pakistan. This study reports the impact of an educational leadership course conducted for head teachers coming from various sectors in context of rural Pakistan. Drawing on the data collected from head teachers, teachers and parents through interviews and observations, the study finds that the leadership course had a positive impact upon the practices of the studied head teachers. They arrange more frequent meetings and discussions inside schools, value teachers’ voice, try to address teachers’ academic issues and have better and greater relations with the community. Similarly, they have implemented the concept of action research to improve their practices. However, they have not been able to sustain the practice of action research and to fully engage teachers in their ongoing development. The study suggests that future in-service courses conducted for head teachers should focus more on providing them with more ideas and skills to sustain the innovations.