50 schools increase the involvement of pupils and teachers after transforming their leadership model

Headmasters, head teachers and other educational leaders from 50 Spanish schools have managed to increase the involvement, commitment and empowerment of their teachers and students after taking part in the second edition of the EduCaixa Leadership for Learning Programme of the "la Caixa" Foundation.

The impact of this pedagogical leadership model based on inclusion, closeness and collaboration has had a widespread effect on the classrooms, cloisters and schools run by the management teams enrolled in the programme.

Among the results reported, 98% of school leaders unanimously confirmed higher levels of commitment and motivation among teachers. "I have been able to convey to them the vision of the school model we want, motivating teachers, distributing roles and creating spaces for dialogue and pedagogical debate. This is leading to an agreement on a methodological and didactic level among the various members of the teaching staff," explains the head of studies at CEIP Teodoro Llorente in Valencia, Rita Lasso de la Vega.

These positive changes in the teaching staff are also having repercussions in the classroom: 67% of school leaders who have transformed their leadership confirm greater participation and better academic performance of pupils. "If there is a culture of continuous learning among teachers in a school, the pupils also perceive it", explains the headmistress of Badalona VII secondary school, Núria Jorba. Other head teachers report increased levels of attention, responsibility, autonomy, well-being and cohesion among students.

All these data are in line with the numerous studies carried out by the OECD and other international organisations, according to which school leadership is the second school variable with the greatest impact on educational quality and improvement. "There is a consensus that without a well-trained and capable management team, no school can improve", explains Maria Espinet, head of the EduCaixa programme of the "la Caixa" Foundation. "It is the management teams that can ensure that the different variables in a school add up and feed back into each other. They are responsible for orchestrating all the elements of a centre in order to improve learning".

In this sense, the director of Badalona VII secondary school, Núria Jorba, assures that "the model of the distant and inaccessible school leader is now a thing of the past and a human and approachable leader is now needed, who needs more training". The head of studies at CEIP Teodoro Llorente in Valencia, Rita Lasso de la Vega, adds that "the educational scenario is constantly evolving and poses new challenges that cannot be faced from the perspective of a bureaucratic leader and resource manager. I believe that a good educational leader is one who contributes to creating a more participatory and inclusive school community".

The EduCaixa Leadership for Learning Programme is divided into three phases throughout the course and focuses on aspects such as: the competencies of a good educational leader, promoting the professional learning of the teaching team, the implementation and evaluation of changes and improvements based on evidence, and the establishment of a shared vision and culture. EduCaixa promotes this programme with the collaboration of the Institute of Education (IOE) of University College London (UCL) and has the support of 25 facilitators from all over Spain who accompany the learning groups.

In the second edition of the programme (academic year 2021-2022), applications were received from 123 schools from different autonomous communities. In total, 50 pairs of teacher leaders from 50 schools were selected who, during the course of the training, have been implementing changes and improvement projects in their schools and institutes.

"The Leadership for Learning Programme is necessary because there is a lack of high quality training opportunities in pedagogical leadership, which has the greatest proven impact on students. It is a programme designed on the basis of evidence, so that it brings together the key elements to ensure that the training manages to change and improve the way management teams lead for the benefit of the educational community," explains Núria Vives, head of the EduCaixa Leadership for Learning Programme. "Moreover, the professional community that is created among the management teams that participate in the programme is a very powerful source of wealth and knowledge".

Registration for the third edition of the programme will begin on 23 November 2022 and will be open until 10 March 2023. The management teams of the 50 selected schools will start training from 11 July 2023.

As in the two previous editions, two representatives from the same school must apply: head teachers, heads of studies or teaching staff who are part of the management team. The training will maintain the three working modalities: 54 hours of classroom training, 18 hours of work in territorial learning groups and 42 hours of design of leadership for change projects that will be developed, implemented and evaluated throughout the course.