Some experiences of the countries on recruitment, training- fostering and assessment on competency of education managers in high schools

In this article, the authors desire to give an overview, in which some methods and models have been used in training, fostering, assessment and recruitment of high school leaders by so[r]

TRAINING-FOSTERING AND ASSESSMENT ON COMPETENCY

OF EDUCATION MANAGERS IN HIGH SCHOOLS

Trinh Van Minh1

Vu Thi Thuy Hang2 Abstract

An increasing domestic and foreign attention is paid to recruitment, training and fostering and assessment on competency of high school education managers (Principals) Many forms, criteria, standards for selection and assessment are identified, accordingly, the orientation, even a philosophy of education can be identified through the use of “leaders” In this article, the authors desire to give an overview, in which some methods and models have been used in training, fostering, assessment and recruitment of high school leaders by some developed countries; and on this basis, some experiences are given for Vietnam.

Keywords: Education managers; Recruitment; Training-fostering; Evaluation;

standards for principal.

1 Introduction

It can be said that the recruitment of school managers with priority criteria for excellent teachers or experienced educators in pedagogical activities has become anoverwhelming trend over many decades in the world However, in addition to other competencies that are differently established and arranged in the “standards for principal” of countries, in recent years, the role of “pedagogic leadership” of the Principal is increasingly important, with a significant role in the principal’s functions In this role, the principal must be able to lead the change process of the school with the voluntary and sustainable participation of all other members in educational community

However, there is a fact that the methods of recruitment, training, and assessment are

diversely organized: for example, recruitment can be prepared in advance, in the teacher training

program (initial training) or through gradual professionalization of teachers who are assigned to

perform different responsibilities in the school before being assessed and recognized to get sufficient competency to undertake a key task in management and leadership

1 VNU University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Mobile: 0913453900;

Email: minhtv@vnu.edu.vn.

2 Concept of “Principal career”

The above-mentioned diversity of recruitment methods poses the question:Does

“Principal career” exit or not? In other words, the question is, “Are education managers in general and high school principals in particular considered a profession or recognized as a profession?” Currently, there have been two contradictory trends, specifically:in traditional

concept, principal is not considered a profession, because the principal is considered a teacher who has given up or restricted his professional activities to focus on pedagogical management

and school management.Based on this concept, the position of manager is considered temporary and the teacher is always conscious of readiness for returning to teaching after

a certain period In fact, this trend is currently in line with higher education management, where the principal is a credible person elected or appointed by colleagues (in the public mechanism) After finishing his term, the principal return to the position of the lecturer, and

it happens naturally

However, in reality, very few principals at high school level returns to teaching role after spending time at the position of principal; rotation is still a mechanism applied in many

countries in the world In his report, author Nguyen Van Quoc (Hai Duong Department

of Education and Training), after the survey, states that the average number of years as an education manager in the province “as of December 2014 is 20 years, equivalent to the term

of insurance contributionfor the retirement regime” [4]

The second concept seems practical and suitable for high education, in which the

functions of leader are understood as a professional activity for excellent teachers or those

who have stopped teaching These teachers are committed to choosing management for the

rest of their career and they are aware of the request for career changeand live with a second career called managerial career.

3 Professionalization of the Principal career through training

Professionalization of the Principal’s career is currently an outstanding trend in the

world through a variety of recruitment policies to select managers who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and passion for the profession to be undertaken by them

The principals or vice principals was recruited fromhighly senior teachers who after receiving adequate training, have extensive experiencesin teaching or lower level management in the past, however, this recruitment criteria is no longer the top priority We know that such traditional recruitment process will exist for a long time, however,recruitment

of leaders and managers whose competency satisfies requirements are not guaranteed On the other hand, after being appointed to the manager position, the teachers will not have much time for professional activities

This issue has been discussed and debated in many countries around the world and

many reforms have been made towards professionalization The followings are examples in

several countries around the world

In the context of rapidly increasing quantity and quality requirements of the schools,

it can be said that the distinguishing the two functions teacher and principal contribute to enhancing the role of principalas a manager cum a leader In many countries, particularly in Germany, there are a lot of policieson appointing the principalin high schoolswhen he/she hasa

degree in education management or school management [5], without giving high important

to teaching seniority, even without direct teaching experience In the United States, it is not

a request that the principal of a high school must be a candidate who experience teaching; a

degree in education management or school management [5] - necessary condition to apply for the position of principal In France, the appointment of the principal is not only related

to the classroom teacher but also brings opportunity for a team of education or career

orientation officers to hold the principaltitle in high schools.

Where the role of an principal is not only assessed in teaching capacity, the Principal

plays many different roles such as: administrators, managers, heads, representatives, etcbefore

increasingly diverse and complicated tasks such as management of facilities, human resource, finance, administration, expertise, relationship management, etc

In the UK, the Fast Track Teaching program was introduced in school in 2000, aimed

at providing incumbent teachers, right from the beginning of their career, fast-growing perspectives with diverse assistances for vocational training and development The program

is aimed at motivating and supporting young teachers to undertake tasks in the school.In

particular, after one five-year period, young teachers must be able to undertake the duties of a school

principal, Vice Principal or an active and enthusiastic professional leader.[6]

In order to implement this program, young teachers are led by a system of advisors and they have access to and reference to a system of resources, a network of human resources established for such purpose (You can refer to this issue in the UK via the link.http://www fasttrackteaching.gov.uk/templates/index.aspáoáo)

4 Recruitment of a Principal for high school

Along with the development of the concept of management profession (Principal), the context of economic, cultural and social development of the age has also been posing new

requirements for the function of school principal Accordingly, in the education systems of

the countries, it is necessary to build new competencies in line with this progress These abilitiescan be demonstrated, identified during recruitment or will be trained from the beginning or during continuous training

Methods and conditions for recruiting a high school principal

In the world, there are a number of ways and conditions for recruitment of high school principals These prerequisites may relate to the professional field, the seniority, work experience of the teacher or the manager In addition, the recruitment comes along

with a specific fostering period for principal in previous time, after taking office or in the first

years of working.

Prerequisites: In most countries, to be appointed as a principal, the candidate must be

the teacher must be a teacher or manager with a 2-10 year seniority in the school In Europe and many other countries, including Germany and Finland, require that the candidate

for principal position must achieve a higher education or master’s degree in education

management and school management;however, there is no regulation onthe seniority This

is also the case in most states in the United States, requiring the principals of high schools to

get a professional degree in education management This degree may also be granted after being appointed; In this case, the candidate has to enroll for 2 years before the appointment and finishes his/her degree after two years of appointment

If education managers have started their careers from teaching role, this requirement

is non-compulsory, and the appointment of principals will be quite diverse

In Singapore, young teachers are regularly assessed in the competency prospects of the “leadership” and their managers In addition, experienced principals will have further tasks of guiding new principals starting their careers, in order to prepare them for the best performance of their new tasks

Principal is experienced teacher who are “thrown into the water”:That is the case in many

countries in the world today, especially in developing countries In such countries, the principal is appointed and works immediately without special training Even after being appointed, for the principals in the schools far from the big cities, the organization of retraining courses is almost infeasible due to economic conditions and difficult travel In these contexts, it is hoped to take solutions for use of new information technology, online training based on the needs of each object, each region and each country.Typical example

is Africa, where UNESCO established International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa

(IIRCA) headquartered in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia The Institute aims to develop information and communication technology in education to promote cooperation in training teachers and education managers [3] However, the application of information technology ineducation managers training and fostering in these countries is a big challenge due to underdeveloped technology infrastructure, unsecured network access, lack of necessary telecommunications equipment, unsuitable work habits (culture of new technologies utility), etc

5 Contents and methods of training the high school principal: some different viewpoints

The viewpoints of training education managers are inseparable from the role of the principal in the school, and it is not surprising that there are many opinions that there should

be a qualitative change related to the objectives and training methods before changes to the important role of principal

5.1 Training contents

Traditional training programs that are widely popularized in countries for training

newly appointed school principals, often includethe contents related to public management,

public finance management and financial law, etc These subjects that are consistent with the

management concept for the principal’s functions, tend to be replaced, or no longer important

in newly established programs considered as the latest and most suitable ones

In some other programs, the administration aspect is given more priority The technical

design and management of training programs often aims atsatisfying specific needs, in the

form of a list of subjects that the principal can choose according to his or her needs.

In the latest training programs, the introduction of exchange contents via network and the

role of “advisor” has heightened the exchange of experience between principals and became

one of the pillars of the retraining program,whichbring the awareness of the flexibility

of the leadership process: transfer of experience, exchange of perspectives enable us to be better

prepared for specific situations Choosing a priority for personal development means personalizing the curriculum.

5.2 Training method

In the world, vocational training for principals can be implemented with many different methods and forms Organization solutions often depend on available resources and the competency to solve problems posed for training activities.A number of questions are posed regarding the method of training:

Principal training can be implemented before or after recruitment?

For a number of leadership positions, including the “principal”, a training process

can be established in two stages: in the first stage, the training process is organized in academic

or professional institutions; The next training stage may be performed after being recruited by the employer (in some States in the US) The ratio between such two stages depends on

the conditions of the specific position and the complexity of the occupational functions Therefore, some training programs produce “ready to work” (turnkey) package products while in some programs, some abilities are required to be learntand trained at the facility after being recruited

However, as mentioned, in some countries, the recruitment of school principals is based on whether the candidates have specialized training degrees, teaching experience, and work experience in the field of education for a certain period; Ifrequested, the training shall be performed only after the task is received

Who is authorized to organize Principal training?

In the world, there is the opinion that let the profession itself determine the necessary

training methods and contents Therefore, in some countries, there are professional associations,

like France or Canada In those countries, the Professional Association of Education

Managers is the agency in charge of training school principals Unlike the voluntary union

or association,professional association is mandatory association for persons who have the same profession, the Association protects the rights and makes all regulations related to the profession- the association that protects rights and establishes regulations related to profession Those who do not join the Association will not be allowed to practice

In addition, employers or recruitment agencies are obliged to organize retraining for their employees, especially when employers realize that initial training is not enough for the recruited employees to practise However, the Career Association and employers can authorize training for specialized training institutions by providing them with a pre-developed plan

Which form of training is suitable?

Traditional training programs include reconnected subjects or a list of “optional” short

courses The strength of the fist program type is that the contents areclosely linked, however, it

does not always meet the needs of diverse objects The training may be organized in centers or performed remotely Distance learning is especially performed in countries where population density is low and remote geographic distance, which takes a long time and high costs for

distance learning Distance learning can be combined with self-training and consulting sessions.

Finally, there are new forms of collaborative work are being applied to information and

communication technology advances, including: network work and establishment of online

forums, remote mentoring via e-mail These techniques have particular strengths for those who

have to learn while still performing work, by this way, they can organize their learning at the suitable pace and time

5.3 Pre-employment training

In some countries, such as the United States, for example, the pre-employment training

in the higher education form with a Master’s degree is requested before practicing These training programs are designed to equip future principals with professional knowledge to

be immediately used after finishing the programs In some other countries, although there

is no such requirement, the universities provide similar training programs for education management In case of pursuing such programs, candidates for manager positions achieve

an additional strength

In the 90s of the last century, the contents of the training program of American universities were criticized, therefore, they are basically reoriented Despite approval by the States, these programs are considered to be non-selective and unsuitable for emerging needs These programs are criticized due to their too theoretical contents and being taught

by lecturers who are almost ignorant about work practices in a school

These programs have been reformed later, specifically, more internships in the school have been supplied and more personal activities have been organized depending on the learners’ needs and projects In addition, the States education authorities have sometimes loosen licensing conditions by allowing one part of the program to be implemented after recruiting new principals

5.4 Initial training after recruitment

Most countries recruit principals without prior training However, there are places where training is held several weeks before taking the duties In some cases this period can

last up to 6 months After a fairly long time, the new principal is still considered to be in the

training stage

For a candidate who has been appointed vice principal, this period will be extended

until such person can completely take over the works in the school This extended period is for the recruited person to acquire the necessary competencies and experience that can be assisted by a mentor, an experienced colleague who tracks the activities and progress of new

recruits, in a personalized form In France, the principal is naturally the one holding this role for the newly appointed vice principal.

Initial training is tending to be complicated and personalized, the training period is relatively long, the use of different training methods is coordinated and quite complex training programs tend to be organized

5.5 In-service training

After the initial training period, principals may have the need of continuing to be trained

to update the knowledge learned in order to implement government-initiated innovations Continuous training can also lay the foundation for educational administration career when

the principal is promoted or changed his/her function; this is also a personal development tool based on the principal’s career assessment methods.

With their diverse functions, continuous training should be organized practically, combined a variety of organizational methods and used a variety of resources In countries

that invest heavily in retraining in office, research-based training has been successfully implemented People there think that research practice is a way to improve personal autonomy and the principal’s ability to manage change.

The benefits of research are clearly seen when the career progression of principals

is regularly evaluated, such as the case in the UK Indeed, the principal career goes through many stages because the principal’s functions are prepared to assume the role of

a “professional leader” with the expectation of being the principal A principal who has been affirmed may be considered a senior principal and assigned additional consultant and adviser’s duties Finally, as a leading head, the principal is invited to participate in the assessment, construction, design of school development plans, and is tasked with participating in directing the education system

How to gather the principal’s capabilities?

In fact, the personalization of training needs to rely on diverse training methods and needs an overview of the training contents So how to organize and link the knowledge and experience acquired by each individual throughout his/her career life? If this problem is not resolved, there is a danger that the principal career will not be established Therefore, having

a system of skills and competence for reference is something that all countries have been interested in and hope to solve the problem of identifying training and retraining content for each individual and thereby create a career group with high homogeneity

Personalization-oriented training needs to be closely monitored and conducted external assessment Therefore, personalization-oriented training is closely linked to the assessment stage

Two examples of the current Principal training system[5]

Training system in UK

In order to organize principal career training, UK has an agency called the National College of School Leadership (NCSL),

NCSL is responsible for organizing:

● training course for granting degree to the heads/principals (NPQH- National Professional Qualification for Headship)

● training courses for taking office

● retraining courses

These training courses are usually held at regional centers and in cooperation with the University Periodically, these centers are conducted external assessment

Training system in France

Training system in France is managed at the local level (Académie) and operated based

on a National Human Resource Center, called the National University of Education (ESEN) The system provides in-service training courses for accession to office including training modules outside of the school and a companion mechanism undertaken by experienced principals Continuous training is less developed in this system The system is also regularly conducted external assessment

6 Assessment of the principal and the role of competency standards competency standards in the assessment

6.1 Competence standards for the Principal

In recent years, a number of researches have been conducted to accurately describe the role of principals through competency standards [2]

Some countries have begun to organize recruitment, training and fostering of principals

in association with the development of competence standards; these standards are usually developed by experts, competent authorities, based on the necessary knowledge and skills

to effectively operate a school These standards are used in initial training, training upon taking office and retraining; In particular, these standards allow the selection of training institutions as well as accreditation of their training programs These standards are also used to evaluate and grant job certificates to candidates when required (Note: Principal is

a career) Finally, these standards are used to evaluate the principal during the incumbent period and develop personalized training programs to improve the qualifications and skills

of the principal

In fact, in different countries, the above factors are expressed in different priority levels and development orders, but they are quite similar in content

For example, in the United States, standards for Principal begin with professional

leadership, the competence to develop a school’s vision, and the responsibility to build a school’s own culture, before referring organizational and managerial competences The UK standards are more

detailed but also show the same priorities as the US The French standards set out first the

competences related to the organization, then the competence to build projects and implement school projects; for the implementation of a school project, emphasizing the competence to define project

objectives after discussions with employees; for project development, it is required to have the competenceto grasp national orientations and the competence to negotiate with educational authorities at all levels

Thus, the opposition of the two professional leadership styles mentioned above is reflected in these standards

6.2 What is the role of the standards for principal?

Competency standards for education managers are built in different countries but almost have the same objectives:

- The first objective: Standards are used as a basis for initial training and retraining of principals

- The second objective: standards are used to publicize the society, school partners, students’ parents, local people’s representatives, and social and economic managers related to education, expectations they may have for the school and the school management team.

- The third objective: Standards are the basis for assessing the incumbent principal and identifying areas where the principal needs to be improved and self-trained.

In most countries around the world, similar standards are often developed on the principle of negotiation and agreement with employers, representatives of incumbent principals and experts In fact, despite the fact that all components have been accepted, there is still suspicion about their application to the principal’s assessment as well as the principal’s practice

6.3 Method of principal assessment

In France, the new method of principal assessment is entirely consistent with the above viewpoint, that the competence standards for principal must be a measure of assessment activities Specifically, after taking the duties, the new principal must develop a diagnostic plan for the school and propose to his/her superiors - the Director of Department, the school’s development objective discussed by both parties After discussion and consensus, those objectives will be formally incorporated into a document called the “Decision on task assignment” (Lettre de Mission), which will serve as a basis for later assessment of the principal

In the United States, the assessment of principals is conducted at the local level by specialized administrators and schools make similar recommendations (Lashway 2003) The

Center for School Leadership Developmentof the University of North Carolina recommends the

following assessment method:

School principals self-assess based on a set of standards that have been developed

on a state or national scale The results of the self-assessment will be discussed with the superiors to identify areas where the principal needs to be improved The superiors are responsible for helping the principal determine some of his/her career development goals Each party participating in the assessment has its own strategy, which is the factors that allow measuring the results of the implementation of the set goals Principals and superiors meet regularly to monitor and evaluate the principal’s progress

In the report” Preparing Teachers and Developing Schools Leaders for the 21st Century» , OCDE, 2012, authorAndreas Schleicher, the representative of the research team,

especially noted the model of Slovakia (Slovenia) of Former Yugoslavia, whereby high school principals were assessed on the degree of achievement of the goals set forth in the

school project The results of the assessment can then be used to adjust the principal’s salary.

6.4 A new trend in evaluating principals through school projects

Due to the importance of the principal’s strategic role in improving school effectiveness, the assessment of the principal’s competence occupies a very important position in professional development mechanisms and in the practice process

Most European countries have issued a type of assessment conducted by a organization

or a system of inspectors However, in fact in the late years of the 20th century, the assessment

of principal has not been systematically implemented in nearly half of the countries on this continent (according to a 1996 survey of EURYDICE)

In recent years, with the strengthening of decentralized policy in school management, the assessment of principal has tended to be replaced by the overall assessment of school Facing the diversity of schools, instead of using the general evaluation criteria and the form, the assessment agency focuses on the goals that have been discussed and negotiated with

the school and the school leadership Therefore, each school’s development project or strategic

plan built on the advantages, challenges and available resources is in line with higher goals at

local, regional or national levels, becoming an important reference for assessment activities The progress madeassociated with the contribution of the leadership, the school employees and partnerswill be measured and assessed through the goals set by the school

Currently in many countries, especially in Europe, the concept of school development

means the development of a school project (projetd’établissement) The conditions for project

implementation are really different, due to the difference of conditions, objectives, motives, organization, etc of the school (for example, the case of France,) In this context, the school’s assessment results (essentially the assessment of school project of the principal) are also considered as the principal’s assessment