Review of the Role of Leadership in Promoting Change in Education

Abstract

This paper reviews the role of school leadership in promoting change in education, with a particular focus on developing and supporting professional learning and teacher development. The study examines how the "below" and "above" forces are brought together to make an effective and lasting force to generate and sustain change. The study approach used for this research is a literature review project. Reliable scholarly articles and various books in the field of education have been studied. The findings of study conclude that the role of school leadership in developing organic leadership that combines a "change from below" approach with "support from above" is of utmost importance to help teachers demonstrate collective and shared responsibility for their students’ learning outcomes. It also discovers that the constructive interdependence of school leaders and teachers can potentially develop skilled learning communities to sustain the change. This poses a test for policy-makers and school leaders to make the environments conducive enough within which organic leadership can be nurtured.