School Leader Development: Current Trends from a Global Perspective

Abstract

This article looks at the growing importance placed on activities to prepare school le- aders in correspondence to their central role for de-veloping and assuring the quality of schools and the ever-increasing responsibilities they are facing. In many countries, this has led to the design and implementation of extensive programs. In this paper, an overview of predominant approaches in use across Europe, Asia, Aus-tralasia, and North America is provided, and international trends in school leader development are identified. It becomes obvious that the aims of school leader development pro- grammes should be grounded on a more broadly defined understanding of leadership, adjusted to the core purpose of school, and based on educational beliefs integrating the values of a democratic society.