Review article
Features and challenges of distributive school leadership
Vesna Kovač
orcid.org/0000-0002-0575-0543
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Stjepan Staničić
orcid.org/0000-0001-6188-2340
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Iva Buchberger
orcid.org/0000-0003-2309-8154
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Abstract
The paper discusses distributive school leadership focused on the active participation and collaborative inclusion of different stakeholders, besides the principal, in the decision-making process about key educational issues. Distributive school leadership has emerged as one of the most important factors which affects school success and student achievement and, in a broader context, even success or sustainability of educational reforms. In recent years relevant international organizations have emphasized the need for a more intensive consideration of distributive school leadership. A review of the key legislative documents shows that the formal assumptions for inclusion of various stakeholders in the Croatian school decision-making process are ensured to some extent. On the other hand, there are indicators that show insufficient inclusion of teachers in the decision-making process. The low degree of decentralization of governance, insufficient development of collaborative relationships between various stakeholders and low interest in participation in decision-making process are just some of the obstacles for enhancement of distributive leadership in Croatian schools. These obstacles can be reduced by empowering professional capacity of teachers for decision-making process and by ensuring conditions for cooperation between the different stakeholders in education.
Keywords
decentralization; distributive school leadership; educational management; teacher professional capacity
Hrčak ID:
136088
URI
Publication date:
11.11.2014.
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