The road to excellence – Lessons on school leadership from around the world

Take a walk through the following resources, from Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s autobiographical novel to Linda Cliatt-Wayman’s TED Talk and explore the inspiring stories of school leaders who defied the odds. Also, gain insights from case studies on strategic leadership and delve into thought-provoking articles from Learning Curve. Lastly, “The Principal Story” offers poignant portraits of dedicated principals shaping America’s public schools. Overall, the next few pages will paint quite a picture of the significance of school leadership in transforming education.

Around the world, there’s a learning crisis in education. This is especially true in the Global South, where students struggle with basic numeracy and literacy. This report talks about a potential cost-effective solution that remains underutilized and under-researched – school leadership. Take a look at this report to understand how the quality of school leadership plays a crucial role in impacting student outcomes.

This report reviews over 70 studies, primarily from the Global South, and covers four main areas. These include the relationship between school leadership and student outcomes, the status of school leaders, training programs, and policies affecting school leadership. Findings reveal that many school leaders lack training and essential skills, and often have to focus on administrative tasks instead of student learning. Click here for the report

Totto-chan Nature of the resource: Book

“Totto-chan” is an autobiographical novel by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. She is a famous Japanese actress and television host. In the book she recollects her childhood years as Totto-chan under the positive influence of her headmaster Sosaku Kobayashi. Despite the hardships of World War II, Totto-chan and her classmates enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of the small school called Tomoe Gakuen. Here mornings were reserved for studies and the afternoons for walks, sketching, singing or plant-collecting. Read the novel to know how a visionary school leader like Kobayashi was able to transform a train car into a space of endless possibilities and what happened to the school due to the World War. Click here for the book

How to fix a broken school Nature of the resource: TED-Ed Talk

When a leader decides to stand against all the odds, what happens? This inspiring 17-minute TED Talk, given by Linda Cliatt-Wayman, a Principal from North Philadelphia, takes us through her experience of leading and transforming a school that was labeled as “low-performing” and “persistently dangerous.” Her work shows us, “Leaders make the impossible, possible!’. Click here for the video

Inspiring change in the face of adversity Nature of the resource: Film Review

“Inspiring change in the face of adversity” is a movie review of Schindler’s List. It is written by Khushboo Awasthi. She is the Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of ShikshaLokam and Co-Founder of Mantra4Change. In the review, the author captures five leadership lessons she gained from the movie. Click here for the movie review

Not just grades: schools that educate differently Nature of the resource: Book

This book is a collection of 10 schools’ case studies. These schools have proved that it is possible to deliver academic excellence, together with positive personal development, with limited available resources. These case studies were written by Prof. Rajeev Sharma and his colleagues at Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, over two decades, to deliver “Strategic leadership for schools in a changing environment”, a senior leadership development program designed for Indian school leaders. Click here for the book

Learning Curve – School Leadership Nature of the resource: Journal

This particular issue of “Learning Curve,” a magazine published by Azim Premji Foundation, is centred around school leadership. This edition presents you with in-depth articles and reflections that broaden our perspective on various aspects of school leadership in the context of India. Click here for the magazine

Good schoolsNature of the resource: Video Series

Have you ever imagined a mountaintop as a classroom? What are the hardships of a single teacher who manages the whole school? Can a school in a tribal community transform the entire community? This video series presented by Azim Premji Foundation compiles impact stories from government schools across India, highlighting the positive influences on students’ learning experience. Each video of the series inspires and motivates us to understand the relentless efforts put forth by the schools’ headmasters and teacher-leaders, despite all the hardships they face. Click here for the videos