Abstract
Educational leadership refers to the process of soliciting and managing the capacities and vitalities of teachers, pupils and parents toward achieving common educational aims. Educational leadership also refers to an individual or group of people who are in charge and lead schools, institutions, programmes and students. The development of leadership as a separate entity goes some way in arguing that an effective educational leader will share much of the same characteristics as a successful business leader. If one sees leadership as a distinct vocation, then one can see that many of the skills and traits are transferable. However, education is a special case, because teaching students has to be the central purpose that educational leadership must reflect. Hence, even if it is drawn from various existent theories of leadership, yet the success is dependent on how much it would enhance the quality of teacher education. The overall mission of this valuable study is to aid researchers in recognizing and understanding the need of educational leadership for enhancing the quality of teacher education.
TopBackground
Educational leadership refers to the process of soliciting and managing the capacities and vitalities of teachers, pupils and parents toward achieving common educational aims. Hence, educational leadership refers to an individual or group of people who are in charge and lead schools, institutions, programmes and students to the best education (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2008). They are thus responsible and accountable to make sure that education in their area is at its finest (Spillane, 2006). Educational leadership theories are not only closely related to other leadership theories, but most also originate from them. This is based on the logical premise that, an effective educational leader will share much of the same characteristics as a successful business leader.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Education: The act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
Teacher: Instructor, a person who teaches or instructs, imparts knowledge and skills especially as a profession.
Leader: Head, superior, a person who rules, guides, motivates, encourages, stimulates and inspires others.
Student: Pupil, a person formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school or college; any person who studies, investigates, or examines thoughtfully.
Teaching: to impart knowledge or skill; give instruction, inform, enlighten, discipline, drill, school, indoctrinate; coach to help to learn.
Transformation: The act or process of transforming, change in form, appearance, nature, or character or alteration, especially a radical one. A change in position or direction of the reference axes in a coordinate system without an alteration in their relative angle.
Impact: To have effect on, effect of coming into contact with a thing or person.
Learning: Knowledge acquired by systematic study in any field of scholarly application including the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill which generally leads to the modification of behavior through practice, training, or experience.