No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Exploring the Impact of School Leadership Practices on Teachers' Job Performance in Rwanda
Abstract
This study explores the impact of effective school leadership practices on teachers’ job performance in primary schools in Rubavu District, Rwanda. The research focuses on three key leadership practices: setting a clear vision and direction, leading teaching and learning. The study employs a quantitative research approach, utilizing regression analysis and ANOVA to assess the relationship between these leadership functions and teacher performance. The findings indicate that setting a clear school vision and direction has the strongest positive correlation with teacher performance (R = 0.933, R² = 87.1%), highlighting the crucial role of visionary leadership in motivating and aligning teachers with school goals. Leading teaching and learning, while moderately correlated (R = 0.693, R² = 48.1%), still plays a vital role in instructional effectiveness and teacher development. The study concludes that strategic leadership in schools, particularly in vision-setting, instructional leadership, and resource management, is essential for enhancing teacher performance and overall school effectiveness. Based on these findings, the study recommends targeted professional development programs for school leaders, and enhanced teacher engagement in decision-making processes. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on educational leadership and offers valuable insights for policymakers, school administrators, and educators on optimizing leadership practices for improved teacher performance and student success. Keywords: Resource management, School leadership practices, Performance
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
School leadership has emerged as a crucial variable for the provision of educational quality. Education policy in Latin America has sought to follow the international trends for the professionalization of school leadership. Following a theoretical model defining the key dimensions for the professionalization of school leadership, the paper examines eight educational systems in the region that have made significant progress in this area.
Five educational systems will be explored using TALIS 2018 principal data, while three others are the subject of in-depth case studies. Our findings show that despite significant advances in the definition of functions and recruitment and selection process, several challenges remain particular regarding the professional development of principals and their working conditions. The paper concludes with policy recommendations on how the region can move forward.
This study examined the effect of school leadership practices on the commitment of secondary school teachers in public schools within Musanze district, Rwanda. The specific objectives were to assess the influence of teachers' motivation, supervision, evaluation, and training and development practices on teachers' commitment to work. This research was guided by two theories: Herzberg two factor theory and Max Weber bureaucracy theory. By using a correlational research design, the study employed a quantitative research approach in collecting and analyzing data. The closed-ended questionnaire was filled out by 167 teachers and 44 school leaders, who were randomly selected from a target population of 305. Reliability was confirmed by a pilot study using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data for the first, second, third and fourth research questions on school leadership practices and teachers’ commitment to work was analyzed through descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and regression analysis, while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The findings revealed significant effects of all four leadership practices on teachers' commitment in Musanze district. Notably, motivation practices (β=0.469, P value <0.05), supervision practices (β=0.368, P-value < 0.05), evaluation practices (β=0.495, P value < 0.05), and training and development practices (β=0.081, P value < 0.05) all exhibited positive linear relationships with teachers' commitment. This study recommends that the leadership in schools under examination should foster teachers' commitment to their work in order to improve student outcomes, which is essential for overall school success.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda is intended to leave no one behind; many people see it as an all-encompassing, global, and interdependent concept. High-quality education will contribute to the development of more stable and long-lasting communities by broadening access to opportunities and fostering greater tolerance within society. Education reforms guaranteeing access to quality primary education rank highly among the Millennium Development Goals. Goal 4 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda emphasizes education’s transformative power for the sake of the world at large. Public schools are responsible for delivering a high-quality education to all students, and businesses and philanthropists may help to make this a reality. The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative and the UNICEF Global Action Plan both have the same overarching goal of assisting educational institutions in developing community-wide strategies for environmental sustainability. In 2018, 20% of the world’s children were not enrolled in schools, and, of those that were, over half had low literacy and numeracy skills. All young people across the world should be able to demonstrate proficiency in numeracy and functional reading by 2030. In this context, this article aims to discuss the connections between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4) and education, research studies from many countries, their significance to education, and future expectations. Received: 14 September 2022 / Accepted: 5 October 2022 / Published: 5 November 2022
Background: Quality education produces substantial values for money, as people are educated, earnings grow, so do savings, so does investment, and in turn, so does the well-being of all. As such, human capital consists of the knowledge, skills, and health that people accumulate over their lives, enabling them to realize their potential as productive members of society. It has large payoffs for individuals, societies, and countries. These facts mark the contribution of quality education to the production of effective human capital as a cornerstone of knowledge-based economy. Materials and methods: The purpose of this study was to scrutinise what is currently known about Rwandan quality education, its remaining challenges and to suggest solutions upon the identified obstructions for the country to achieve its predetermined long-term goals. External Desk research method was used to collect relevant information already published online, published reports and policies, Government and related International education based organisations' published data, from different Rwandan government & ministerial websites, United Nations (UN) Agencies websites, World Bank (WB) website to enhance the overall effectiveness of this current research in light of education quality indicators in Rwanda namely: government spending in education, internal efficiency, access, equity, relevance, literacy and teachers' motivation. Results: The study established that expenditure on education as % of total government GNI & public expenditure remains insufficient. Internal efficiency discloses a weak cohort survival, low transition and completion rates. Access to education was revealed inadequate when it comes to proximity of schools, preschool education, health & nutrition services, language of instruction as it has been changing overtime, and inadequate access to current educational technology-high speed internet connection, adequate hardware & software, digital and online learning opportunities. The study also established an inadequate equity in distributing available scarce resources like professionally trained and qualified teachers, classrooms, desks, textbooks, computers, toilets, particularly in rural areas. Relevance of education was also revealed poor, for education to respond to the societal needs and labour market demands like provision of competent human resources on either national or international market as evidenced by Human Capital Index (HCI) of 0.36/1. As such, literacy rate keeps growing slowly i.e., 0.96% within 10years. At last, teachers' motivation was found insufficient enough to cover teachers' basic daily expenses since their pay falls far less than country' GDP/capital & purchasing power party. Conclusion: A conclusion upon such findings was therefore drawn that the expected long-term goals-transformation of Rwandan citizens into skilled human capital for social economic development of the country, achievement of access to quality, equitable and effective education for all and provision of human resource useful for the socioeconomic development through the education system, remain unfinished business by the year 2020. To this end, in regard to this conclusion, suggested solutions for the main identified obstructions were asserted in line of achieving the expected quality education for all.
Accountability—the monitoring and use of student performance data to make judgements about school and teacher effectiveness—is increasing within school systems across the globe. In theory, by increasing accountability, the aims and incentives of governments, parents, school leaders and teachers become more closely aligned, potentially improving student achievement as a result. Yet, in practice, concerns are mounting about the stress that accountability is putting schools and teachers under. This paper presents new evidence on this issue, drawing upon data from more than 100,000 teachers across over 40 countries. We find evidence of a modest, positive correlation between school system accountability and how stressed teachers and headteachers are about this aspect of their job. When looking within schools, there is little evidence that the management practices of headteachers differ when they report feeling stressed about accountability, or that they transmit these feelings onto their staff. However, we do find strong evidence of ‘emotional contagion’ of stress amongst colleagues within schools, with teachers more likely to feel stressed by accountability if their colleagues do as well.
Purpose
This paper aims to present a research‐based model of leadership for learning. It argues that the field has made substantial progress over the past 40 years in identifying ways in which leadership contributes to learning and school improvement. Four specific dimensions of leading for learning are presented: values and beliefs, leadership focus, contexts for leadership, and sharing leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs a review methodology but focuses especially on evidence from several recent empirical studies. While the author argues that progress has been made, limitations – especially with respect to linking leadership practice to different contexts – are noted.
Findings
The paper finds that significant progress has been made in identifying the means by which leadership impacts on learning.
Research limitations/implications
The key limitation in this research lies in the difficulty in linking leadership to its context. While progress is also beginning to be made in this area, it remains a limiting factor in interpreting the findings from this body of research.
Practical implications
The above limitation means that individual school leaders must still apply the findings both with caution and with an understanding of their own particular school context.
Originality/value
The paper extends prior reviews by its inclusion of findings from a series of important studies that have emerged since 2008.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relative impact of different types of leadership on students' academic and nonacademic outcomes.
Research Design: The methodology involved an analysis of findings from 27 published studies of the relationship between leadership and student outcomes. The first meta-analysis, including 22 of the 27 studies, involved a comparison of the effects of transformational and instructional leadership on student outcomes. The second meta-analysis involved a comparison of the effects of five inductively derived sets of leadership practices on student outcomes. Twelve of the studies contributed to this second analysis.
Findings: The first meta-analysis indicated that the average effect of instructional leadership on student outcomes was three to four times that of transformational leadership. Inspection of the survey items used to measure school leadership revealed five sets of leadership practices or dimensions: establishing goals and expectations; resourcing strategically; planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum; promoting and participating in teacher learning and development, and ensuring an orderly and supportive environment. The second meta-analysis revealed strong average effects for the leadership dimension involving promoting and participating in teacher learning and development and moderate effects for the dimensions concerned with goal setting and planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum.
Conclusions and Implications for Research and Practice: The comparisons between transformational and instructional leadership and between the five leadership dimensions suggested that the more leaders focus their relationships, their work, and their learning on the core business of teaching and learning, the greater their influence on student outcomes. The article concludes with a discussion of the need for leadership research and practice to be more closely linked to the evidence on effective teaching and effective teacher learning. Such alignment could increase the impact of school leadership on student outcomes even further.
While considerable evidence indicates that school leaders are able to make important contributions to the success of their students, much less is known about how such contributions are made. This book provides a comprehensive account of research aimed at filling this gap in our knowledge, along with guidelines about how school leaders might use this knowledge for their own school improvement work.
Leadership practices known to be effective for improving student success are outlined in the first section of the book while the remaining sections identify four “paths” along which the influence of those practices “flow” to exercise an influence on student success. Each of the Rational, Emotional, Organizational and Family paths are populated by conditions or variables known to have relatively direct effects on student success and also open to influence by effective leadership practices.
While the Four Path framework narrows the attention of school leaders to a still-considerable number conditions known to contribute to student success, it leaves school leaders the autonomy to select, for improvement efforts, the sub-set of conditions that make the most sense in their own local circumstances. The approach to leadership described in this book provides evidence-based guidance on what to lead and flexibility on how to lead for purposes of improving student learning.
Understanding sources of sustained competitive advantage has become a major area of research in strategic management. Building on the assumptions that strategic resources are heterogeneously distributed across firms and that these differences are stable over time, this article examines the link between firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Four empirical indicators of the potential of firm resources to generate sustained competitive advantage-value, rareness, imitability, and substitutability are discussed. The model is applied by analyzing the potential of several firm resources for generating sustained competitive advantages. The article concludes by examining implications of this firm resource model of sustained competitive advantage for other business disciplines.
What can school leaders really do to increase student achievement, and which leadership practices have the biggest impact on school effectiveness? For the first time in the history of leadership research in the United States, here's a book that answers these questions definitively and gives you a list of leadership competencies that are research-based. Drawing from 35 years of studies, the authors explain critical leadership principles that every administrator needs to know: (1) 21 leadership responsibilities that have a significant effect on student learning and the correlation of each responsibility to academic achievement gains; (2) The difference between first-order and second-order change and the leadership responsibilities--in rank order--that are most important for each; (3) How to choose the right work to focus on to improve student achievement; (4) The advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive school reform models for improving student achievement; (5) 11 factors and 39 actions that help you take a site-specific approach to improving student achievement; and (6) A five-step plan for effective school leadership that includes a strong team, distributed responsibilities, and 31 team action steps.
This research-based framework of six types of involvement guides state and district leaders, school principals, teachers, parents, and community partners to form Action Teams for Partnerships--dynamic groups that plan, implement, evaluate, and continually improve family and community involvement for student success. This edition offers tools and strategies--innovations tested for more than 15 yrs that are being used by leaders in schools, districts, and state departments of education across the country to create partnership programs that support school improvement goals. With this second edition, the reader will learn how to: involve the community in school, family, and community partnerships; organize more effective Action Teams for Partnerships; strengthen partnership programs in middle and high schools; implement interactive homework for students to show and share with their families; organize successful volunteers in the middle grades; and conduct state and district leadership activities to help school develop partnership programs. This edition also provides examples of successful partnership activities linked to school goals for students, new planning and evaluation tools, and new guidelines and materials for conducting effective training workshops on partnerships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Influence of Headteachers Management Practices on Job Satisfaction Among Teachers in Public Primary Schools in Nandi County, Kenya . (Doctoral dissertation
- P T Arusei
Arusei, P. T. ( 2023). Influence of Headteachers Management Practices on Job Satisfaction Among
Teachers in Public Primary Schools in Nandi County, Kenya. (Doctoral dissertation,
University of Nairobi).
Rwanda Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development Project: Project appraisal document
- W Bank
Bank., W. ( 2021). Rwanda Quality Basic Education for Human Capital Development Project:
Project appraisal document. World Bank Group.
What are some of the current challenges in quality education?
- W F Education
Education., W. F. (2021). What are some of the current challenges in quality education?
Distributed leadership: According to the evidence
- A Harris
Harris, A. ( 2008). Distributed leadership: According to the evidence.. Journal of educational
administration, 46(2), 172-188.
Distributed school leadership: Developing tomorrow's leaders
- A Harris
- J Spillane
Harris, A., & Spillane, J.. (2013). Distributed school leadership: Developing tomorrow's leaders.
.
The impact of school leadership and organizational culture on student achievement: A resource-based perspective
- T Huang
Huang, T. (2017). The impact of school leadership and organizational culture on student
achievement: A resource-based perspective. Educational Management Administration &
Leadership, 45(4), 592-606.
The Role of Community Involvement in School Decision-Making: Impact on Teacher Motivation and School Performance in Rubavu District
- Karangwa
Karangwa, e. a. (2023). The Role of Community Involvement in School Decision-Making: Impact
on Teacher Motivation and School Performance in Rubavu District, Rwanda.
The impact of instructional leadership on teacher effectiveness in Rwandan primary schools
- M Kayitesi
Kayitesi, M. (2020). The impact of instructional leadership on teacher effectiveness in Rwandan
primary schools. Rwanda Journal of Education, 6(2), 45-62.
What we know about successful school leadership
- Leithwood
Leithwood, et al. (2003).. What we know about successful school leadership.. Philadelphia, PA:
Laboratory for Student Success, Temple University.
Exploring the design and implementation process of the Kigali City education strategy
- V M Manirakiza
Manirakiza, V. M. (2023). Exploring the design and implementation process of the Kigali City
education strategy.. Rwandan Journal of Education, 7(1), 150-168.
The Impact of Equitable Resource Allocation on Teacher Empowerment and Student Learning Outcomes
- R Mestry
Mestry, R. (2017). The Impact of Equitable Resource Allocation on Teacher Empowerment and
Student Learning Outcomes.
Policy document or report on school leadership
- Mineduc
MINEDUC. ( 2022). Policy document or report on school leadership. Kigali, Rwanda.
Education Sector Strategic Plan
- Mineduc
MINEDUC. (2020). Education Sector Strategic Plan 2018-2024.. Kigali, Rwanda: Government
of Rwanda.
The Role of School Leaders in Enhancing Teacher Professional Development
- A Mugabo
- Ndayambaje
Mugabo, A., & Ndayambaje,. (2021). The Role of School Leaders in Enhancing Teacher
Professional Development:.
Head Teachers' leadership Styles and Job Satisfaction of Teachers in Government Secondary Schools
- N Mukasa
Mukasa, N. (2019). Head Teachers' leadership Styles and Job Satisfaction of Teachers in
Government Secondary Schools, Masaka District Uganda (Doctoral dissertation,.
Relationship between head teachers' instructional supervisory practices and factors leading to teachers' motivation in public secondary schools in Nyamagabe district in Rwanda (Doctoral dissertation
- J Musanabandi
Musanabandi, J. ( 2022). Relationship between head teachers' instructional supervisory practices
and factors leading to teachers' motivation in public secondary schools in Nyamagabe
district in Rwanda (Doctoral dissertation,. UR (College of Education)).
Transformational Leadership Style and Performance of Teachers in Secondary Schools in Fort Portal Municipality in Uganda (Doctoral dissertation
- A Nasuuna
Nasuuna, A. ( 2019). Transformational Leadership Style and Performance of Teachers in
Secondary Schools in Fort Portal Municipality in Uganda (Doctoral dissertation, Kampala
International University (KIU)).
Influence of Head Teachers' Instructional Leadership Practices on Students' Academic Achievement in Public Day Lower Secondary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of Nyagatare District
- M Nduta
Nduta, M. ( 2024). Influence of Head Teachers' Instructional Leadership Practices on Students'
Academic Achievement in Public Day Lower Secondary Schools in Rwanda: A Case of
Nyagatare District. International Journal of Management and Development Studies,.
The qualifications of teachers, their access to educational resources and instructional materials, the experience of head teachers or departmental heads, the culture of a school, and the socioeconomic circumstances of students are just a
- Nsubuga
Nsubuga. (2017). The qualifications of teachers, their access to educational resources and
instructional materials, the experience of head teachers or departmental heads, the culture
of a school, and the socioeconomic circumstances of students are just a.
Strengthening Continuous Professional Development For Sustainable Capacity Development Of School Leaders In Rwanda
- A G Ntwali
- I Flink
- J Peeraer
- V Michelle
- A Uworwabayeho
- N Astérie
Ntwali, A. G., Flink, I., Peeraer, J., Michelle, V., Uworwabayeho, A., & Astérie, N. (n.d.).
Strengthening Continuous Professional Development For Sustainable Capacity
Development Of School Leaders In Rwanda.
The Impact of School Resources and Workload on Teacher Performance in Rubavu District
- Nzeyimana
Nzeyimana. (2023). The Impact of School Resources and Workload on Teacher Performance in
Rubavu District, Rwanda.
School leadership in East Africa: Linkages between school-level leadership and teacher performance
- G K T Oduro
- H Dachi
- M Fertig
- J Rarieya
Oduro, G. K. T., Dachi, H., Fertig, M., & Rarieya, J.. (2019). School leadership in East Africa:
Linkages between school-level leadership and teacher performance. Educational
Management Administration & Leadership, 47(1), 57-75.
Transformational leadership and teacher commitment: Literature review and implications for school leaders
- D G Pounder
Pounder, D. G. ( 2006). Transformational leadership and teacher commitment: Literature review
and implications for school leaders. Journal of Educational Administration, 44(2), 172-190.
Distributed leadership
- J P Spillane
Spillane, J. P. ( 2005). Distributed leadership. In The educational forum (Vol. 69, No. 2, pp. 143-150). Taylor & Francis Group.
The Impact of Supportive Leadership on Teacher Confidence and Innovation in Rubavu District
- Twagirayezu
Twagirayezu. (2023). The Impact of Supportive Leadership on Teacher Confidence and
Innovation in Rubavu District, Rwanda.
The Impact of Visionary Leadership on Teacher Engagement, Lesson Preparation, and Classroom Management in Rubavu District
- Uwimana
Uwimana. ( 2023). The Impact of Visionary Leadership on Teacher Engagement, Lesson
Preparation, and Classroom Management in Rubavu District, Rwanda (Unpublished
master's thesis).
The role of school leadership in teacher retention and job satisfaction in Rwandan public primary schools
- D Uwizeyimana
- A Ndagijimana
Uwizeyimana, D., & Ndagijimana, A. ( 2021). The role of school leadership in teacher retention
and job satisfaction in Rwandan public primary schools. Journal of Educational Leadership
& Policy, 9(1), 112-130.