Educational researcher Michael Fullan once asked What’s worth fighting for in the principalship?

This question has underpinned most of my reflective thoughts this year on the powers and functions of a school leader and one’s ability to influence and enact sustainable change in a school organisation. 

The demands on school leaders have grown exponentially, even more so in the pandemic, where we have been at the forefront of public health policy debates to keep children safe and physically in education.

This alone has been exhausting but as the 2020s roll on, the demands to educate and prepare children for an ever uncertain future, leading even more complex organisations, has left many potential and current school leaders without much fight left at a crucial moment for education.

Preparing for the next era

Indeed, the pressure on school leaders and support networks to ensure we not only keep current school leaders, but also attract the next generation needed to lead schools successfully, has taken on more importance and is a global issue in education.

This is especially crucial in the maelstrom of often very public criticism and a wider societal polarised discourse around issues like vaccinations, curriculum direction and choice, and edtech in schools, to name but a few.

School leaders then need examples from the actual “arena” for support, for professional growth, to “fight smartly on the right hills to make a stand upon”, to be more effective and confident, and this is where the power of formal networks specifically for school leaders comes to the fore. 

In the UK, these networks are very well established through heads’ county or Local Authority groups, multi-academy trusts and professional associations with strong voices, literally “speaking truth to power” - aka ministers and civil servants responsible for decisions and policy. 

For global school leaders, though, this is not always the case and international schools are often left banging on closed doors in national education systems for answers and directions to legal frameworks. 

Working across borders

However, I have been very fortunate this year to be part of such networks, that are not only looking outwards to see what schools and education systems around the globe are doing, the efficiency of their systems and organisations, but also know how to link the schools and leaders to the corridors of power in their respective society for voices to be heard.  

For example, the COBIS Black Sea schools network is invaluable to me and my team in Moldova for the support it gives and to ensure we don’t feel isolated and alone. Our collective voice is our power in global education.

The British Council’s School Ambassadors Network in the UK operates and supports schools globally in a similar way. The recently launched International Schools Network is a great platform to share ideas in global education. 

All these positive thoughts were in my mind as I had the privilege to speak for my colleagues this December at the 13th UNICEF Policy Dialogue in Rwanda, and because it is still a Covid era in 2021, online as well.

This came about as part of my involvement with Varkey Foundation and Teacher Task Force (TTF) 2030 group, a formal network of around 400 school leaders from around the globe, as well as academics, policymakers, ministers and former ministers of education.  

We have met each month online to look at a range of topics that we face as school leaders, ranging from the cultural battle in education to leading in times of change and reform to research-informed leadership. 

Sharing together 

The Varkey Team group in Argentina has provided the hub and direction for this diverse, eclectic group of schools, systems, countries and contexts.

This has been one of the core strengths and provided a very safe forum for school leaders to share ideas, issues, support one another and grow professionally. 

It would be hard to imagine how such a group would come together and work together without this hub, as international schools don’t always link up in such a developed collaborative way outside regional locations or shared educational culture and values.

In the Varkey Foundation and TTF 2030 group, this has been the complete opposite and it is a key strength. 

Another strength of the network has been the access and engagement with leading political figures, individuals from the worlds of sport, business and academia, all reflecting on issues within their organisations and spheres of influence and linking that back to our schools and classrooms. 

This has meant less “cult of school leader” or “celebrity educator” and more meaningful and more impactful connections have occurred.

CPD, mentors and change agents 

For instance, we heard from Argentine footballer, Juan Sebastian Veron, who shared how he had coped with his setbacks in his career and the importance of wise coaches like Sir Alex Ferguson.

This sparked conversations among us about the importance of a good coach or mentor - with many confiding it was something they didn’t have. Many said they may turn to their governors for support, but conceded it’s not quite the same.

This led to conversations about how school leaders can invest in themselves with training budgets - something many admitted they felt guilty about if it took funds away from CPD that could be spent on their team.

This then sparked probably our longest discussion on Fullan’s idea of the principal as a “change agent” for a school and how this can be done by utilising the wider school community and getting important voices to speak up for the school.

Tellingly, perhaps, many felt they didn’t know who those key voices were that they needed to tap into to achieve this in their context.

Bringing all these issues to the fore has enabled us to produce our final report that will form part of the wider work of the TTF 2030 that is advocating for educators and the teaching profession globally with policymakers to inform at both national and supranational levels.

This is dedicated to not only raising awareness and expanding professional knowledge for school leaders but supporting all countries to achieve target 4.c of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals that seeks to “substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers” - especially in developing nations.

What this work has done is show that leaders everywhere have a role to play.

Perhaps then, as we look forward to 2022, this should be our collective new year’s resolution: to use our voice, position and power as school leaders to advocate for the power of education for all.

That’s definitely something worth fighting for.

Rob Ford is director of Heritage International School in Chisinau, Moldova