An Investigation into Major Features of Exemplary School Leadership Development Programs and their Implications to School Leadership Development in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Schools, nowadays, function in a complex, dynamic and throat-cutting competitive world which needs creativity, innovation and high performance which, in turn, makes new leadership skills and behaviours indispensable. School leadership, thus, has received significant attention among educational scientists and systems worldwide for its cruciality in determining school effectiveness and improvement in students’ achievement. The objective of this review, therefore, was to identify common characteristics of exemplary school leadership development programs in different contexts and, eventually, draw lessons for Ethiopia. Scoping approach was employed for the review.  Relevant sources were searched from ERIC, SAGE and Google scholar. Consequently eight articles representing diversified contexts were systematically reviewed. Time of publication and relevance of the articles were major inclusion and exclusion criteria. The articles were d selected through reading and rereading of the titles and abstracts. Rubric was used to extract the data. The review revealed that exemplary school leadership development programs are characterized by having program contents with instructional leadership focus, distinct criteria for candidates’ selection, student cantered learning strategies, strong partnership among stakeholders, involvement of committed and competent personnel and cohort-based program structure with significant implications to school leadership development programs in Ethiopia in terms of program content, program modality and the selection of candidates. Concerning content, for instance, programs should go beyond traditional administrative roles of school leaders and include both curricular and instructional issues. The selection of candidates should consider adequate leadership experiences and prior academic preparations. Regarding modality, adequate internship and field work opportunities need due attention.