HKIER

Abstract

School Principals hold the key to effectiveness and quality in education, as they are the vanguards of stability and agents of change. School-based management (SBM) in New South Wales in Australia and Hong Kong has given the principals increased autonomy in managing the schools with accountability. Current trends in both systems indicate commitments for consolidating SBM, making the quality of leadership vital in institutionalizing change. Both systems select principals on merit, as leadership qualities are partly inborn and partly learned, resulting in a number of programs offered by the universities in meeting the demand for professional development. This paper presents practitioners' opinions on the effectiveness of the Master of Leadership and Management in Education (MLMEd) offered by the University of Newcastle and the Preparation for Principalship (PFP) program by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Methodology included both quantitative and qualitative approaches and thus the findings are based on student evaluations and interviews with school leaders who followed these programs.

Keywords: professional development programs; school leaders; school-based management

摘要

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