Challenges of Head Teachers as Instructional Leaders: A Ghanaian Perspective

Yıl 2013, Sayı: 8, 53 - 74, 23.07.2016

Francis Godwyll William Larson Doreen Ahwıreng

Öz

This paper identifies a limitation in the Ghanaian educational system, which is respected for its pursuit of excellence. Recommendations are offered for the remediation of the shortcoming that reflects an inadequacy in the professional development that is provided for the country’s head teachers. The significance of the shortcoming is that it influences instruction, learning, and student achievement in the country’s schools. Professional development for the head teachers has typically been organized by the Ghana Education Service, the operational office of the country’s Ministry of Education. The nationally-based endeavor tends to be delivered in a limited manner, which contributes to the unsystematic and ineffective development of the head teachers (Anamuah-Mensah, 2006). To make matters worse, the procedures, which are used to appoint and train the head teachers, are respectively seniority-based and ineffective. The outcome is head teachers, who are without the knowledge-base and skill-set that are needed to provide relevant instructional leadership and management (Godwyll 2008; Oduro, 2003). A proposal is offered to implement school-based, as opposed to the current district and regional-based, professional development. The school-based approach would be framed based upon the tenets of a professional learning community, with an ultimate objective of improving the capacity of the head teachers to provide leadership for student achievement (Bell & Stevenson, 2006; Hoyle, 1986)

Anahtar Kelimeler

Instructional leadership, professional development, professional learning community, schoolbased

Kaynakça

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