LICOSESS Teacher Training College

(The resources adopted in this manual was drawn or modified Liberia School Leadership Manual)

Introduction to School Administration

101

Dr. Benjamin Y. Wehye

 A. Learning Objectives: At the end of this module, participants are expected to:
o Identify characteristics of effective school leadership
o Describe the critical areas of school leadership

In Liberia, the Education Administrative Regulation Volume 4 describes the roles and
responsibilities of a school principal: As the key ranking administrator, principals are responsible
for the:
a) Management, maintenance, and implementation of school policies regarding discipline,
coordination of the instructional program and other overall school matters.
b) School principals are also required to lead school reform that would raise student achievement.
Such a vision should consider the inputs of teachers, parents and others in community.
c) Principals also interact with parents who serve on school advisory boards such as the
parent/teacher associations (PTAs).
d) Principals are also responsible for making sure that their schools’ campuses are safe and secure by
ensuring that facilities and equipments are safe and in good working order.
e) The principal must supervise the development of overall school discipline policies and the
enforcement of those policies, and the assignment of supervisory responsibilities among school
personnel.
f) Principals must communicate any constraint or challenge to the District Education Officer who
then will transmit same to the County Education Officer and the County School Board.

A. Definitions of School Leadership:

a) Education administration is the management of human, material, financial and legal resources
for the attainment of school goals.
b) School leadership is a responsibility that is shared and involves coaching, support, supervision,
accountability, and reporting.

B. The Goal of School Leadership

a) To improve the quality of education and the education system,
b) To train and provide the relevant tools and skills to principals to enable them to contribute to
school effectiveness by using the extensive leadership knowledge to solve complex school-
based problems, and to build trust through working relationships with school staff, parents,
students, and the community.

C. Purpose of School Leadership

 The primary purpose of school leadership is to ensure academic success through process, material
and training improvements. This is mainly accomplished through collaboration with different
individuals, such as teachers, parents, students, public policy makers and the public.

D. Evidence to support the Impact of School Leaders

School leadership is second only to teaching among school-related factors in its impact on student
learning, according to research. Moreover, principals strongly shape the conditions for high-quality
teaching and are the prime factor in determining whether teachers stay in school, remain in the
classroom and teach while in the classroom.
“Principal effectiveness is associated with greater teacher satisfaction and
a lower probability that the teacher leaves the school within a year.
33%
TEACHER IMPACT 25%
Moreover, the positive impacts of principal effectiveness on these teacher
outcomes are even greater in disadvantaged schools.” (Grissom, 2011)
PRINCIPAL IMPACT

42%
IMPACT OF ALL
a) There is wide recognition that school leaders exert a

SCHOOL FACTORS
powerful or indirect, influence on teaching quality and
OTHER
COMBINED student learning.
a) Effective principals should have good organizational
Source: Walters, Marzano & McNulty, 2003.
management skills

1) Principal organizational management skills consistently correlated with student test score growth,
teacher satisfaction, and teacher and parent ratings of school climate – Organizational management:
hiring, budgeting, maintaining a school environment,
2) Effective principals spend more time on organizational management tasks,
3) But the majority of principals’ time is spent on administration – Compliance, scheduling, routine
paperwork, before/after school duty.
4) Good organizational management skills are:
a) Planning
b) Communication
c) Decision making
d) Delegation
e) Problem solving, and
f) Motivating others
b) Effective principals are instructional leaders: “Instructional leadership” means engagement with
student learning. Principals should allocate more time to instructional issues if they will improve
learning outcomes. Some aspects of instructional leadership seem to matter but not others (visiting
classrooms only is negatively correlated with growth). But time spent on teacher coaching, feedback,
and teacher support predict greater student growth. Walkthroughs often are not strategic, focused on
monitoring rather than teacher feedback. Good instructional leadership strategies:
I. Sit in classrooms more often: Either announced or as a surprise, regularly watching your
teachers teach will help you:
1. Offer corrective feedback,
2. Work with them to create relevant goals,
3. Hold targeted conversations and meetings,
4. Provide professional development opportunities,
5. Find common strengths and weaknesses amongst teachers and students.

II. Improve Feedback: Provide at least one suggestion for improvement no matter how good the
observation is. There is no perfect lesson. Suggestions for improvement should always
contain clear, practical examples and strategies that a teacher can begin to implement
immediately. Timely feedback is also essential.
III. Model: Don’t ask your teachers to do anything that you are not willing to do yourself.
IV. Teach a Class: This can be accomplished regularly during the year or by co-teaching with
both struggling and distinguished teachers.
V. Ensure lesson plans are aligned to the curriculum: Inspect lesson plans regularly.
VI. Ensure Principal- School leader instructional reflection session: Make time for supportive
reflection with teaching staff over tea or coffee.
VII. Support in-service training and continuous professional development: Include in your
academic calendar time for in-service training.
VIII. Follow up on student assessment: Review sample of assessment papers and ensure teachers
are marking assessments and returning them.
IX. Ensure curriculum coverage every period: Validate whether the content of the curriculum
was covered for each subjects every period.
X. Being visible and accessible: good principals should be a positive, vibrant and visible
presence in the school. Modeling behaviors of learning, focusing on learning objectives, and
leading by example. A successful instructional principal should also have excellent planning
and observation skills as well as proficiency in research and evaluation of both staff and
student performance.
XI. Ensure teacher presence and time on task: Inspect and make sure teachers are in their
classrooms and teaching the prescribed topic for the day.
XII. Serving as an instructional resource: Teachers rely on principals and other administration
officials to be sources of information related to effective instructional practices and current
 trends in education. Instructional leaders should be tuned in to all of the pertinent issues and
current events related to curriculum, effective assessment, and pedagogical strategies.
c) Effective principals are strategic talent managers: Talent management: identifying,
hiring/recommending, assigning, and retaining effective teachers. High-growth schools hire more
effective teachers, assign them more equitably. Strategic talent management often leads to high teacher
retention. Good talent management strategies:
I. Create an attractive professional environment,
II. Use performance evaluation data as the primary reason for tenure decisions,
III. Provide new teachers ongoing support through placement and induction,
IV. Establish a healthy and supportive teaching environment,
V. Solicit feedback from resigning and retiring educators.

E. Critical areas for consideration in leading schools:

a) Organizational Knowledge:
I. Effective leadership begins with extensive knowledge of the instructional environment:
individual student needs, strengths, and weaknesses of staff members, aspects of the
instructional programs, student data, and schedules. It is the way in which school leaders
weave these data sources together that they lay the foundation for effective school
leadership.
II. Researchers exploring the qualities of effective school leadership often begin with the
leader’s knowledge of the students in his or her school.
b) Use of data:
Effective school leaders develop their organizational knowledge-based, in large part, on their
understanding of student data (assessment, promotion, drop-out, retention, repeaters etc.).
I. Effective school leaders take an active role in data meetings, ensuring that teachers
understand how the data indicate the instructional priorities for each teacher’s classroom.
c) Scheduling:
I. High-performing schools consistently identify scheduling as one of the key factors of their
success.
II. Therefore, in resource-constrained scenarios facing many schools, effective scheduling
helps maximize available staff.
III. Proper scheduling will ensure each teacher is assigned his/her full teaching load.

Finally, to lead and manage schools well, principals should think about results, success, efficiency, process,
collaboration, and adequacy of the environment to the teaching-learning process.
Leading and Managing Early Childhood Development/Education (ECD/E)
Schools

Summary:
i. There are challenges associated with the provision of the ECD/E in Liberia and they include:
a. Overage enrollment of ECD/E learners.
b. Poor quality associated with absence of specialized training, large classes and difficult
teaching environments.
c. Limited understanding about the importance of ECD/E particularly in poor and
deprived communities.
ii. Early Childhood Development or Education settings may be referred to as: kindergarten,
preparatory, pre-primary, reception or transition learning centers
iii. ECD/E teachers or caregivers are important in that, they influence what happens in the setting
and likewise, the settings influence people in the ECD/E setting.
iv. The role of leadership is important as leaders/principals are to create a quality learning and
living environment in which the children can be allowed to be children, as they relate and
interact with each other and with the caring staff, away from the hustle and hectic life of the
fast moving economy of the 21st century).
v. Several actors in involved in ECD/E service provision and they include: Stakeholder, policy
designer, pedagogy creator and rights’ advocate.
vi. Successful leadership for ECD/E should consider:
a. Processes – An intentional process of family engagement and collaboration,
b. Quality of process – Involves interactions between educational professionals and
children (parents, colleagues, etc.) as early childhood education and care is directly
influenced by orientation quality and structure quality.
c. Structure quality - Structural quality is defined by equipment and resources of the
institutions: staff-child ratio, group sizes, the qualification of the pedagogues, rooms,
materials, etc.

Unit 1b. Leading and Managing Basic Education Schools (Grades 1-9)

The Basic Sub-sector Challenges in Liberia:

Basic Education in Liberia is from grades 1-9. Several challenges have been identified within this sub-
sector and mitigating some of these challenges will require effective leadership at the school level.
Challenges facing Basic Education in Liberia are:
a) Achievements, retention and completion rates are low across all levels – and for those who stay in
school — there are low learning outcomes. Survival rates in basic education decrease between each
cycle. Of those students who enroll in basic education 69 percent survive to grade 6 and 59 percent
to grade 9 (ESA, 2016). Many children remain out of school.
b) The Education Sector Analysis (ESA) 2015/16 estimated that 17% of 6-14 year olds were out-of-
school (170,000).
c) The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) has improved but remains low because many children are overage,
especially in ECE. Children from poor or rural households are less likely to complete basic
education (Survival Rate: Urban 83%, Rural: 35%, Rich: 70%, Poor: 33%).
d) There are now almost equal numbers of boys and girls entering school. The primary and Junior
High Gender Parity Index improved from 0.88 and 0.79 in 2008 to 0.96 and 0.98 in 2015. However,
there are still more boys than girls in higher grades and eight counties have a GPI below 0.90.
There are large drops in girls’ enrolment from primary to JH School. Only 14% of poor rural girls
complete primary education.
e) Overall, 55% of teachers lacked minimum teaching qualifications and there are large disparities in
the distribution of qualified teachers. Just 27% of the teaching workforce were women but few
women teach at JH or SH. Montserrado has a higher proportion of female teachers. Only 20% of
RTTI student teachers were women. There are large numbers of teachers on lower pay or working
as “volunteer” or “household teachers.”
f) On the other hand, literacy assessment scores were below international benchmarks at lower
primary grades. Pass rates at LJHSCE and LSHSCE fell between 2007 and 2014. Quality
improvement is a challenge as Content and preparation for classroom- University and TTIs are
inadequate, inadequate incentive for teachers are inadequate, and teacher retention is low coupled
with limited continuous professional development for teachers. Additionally, Overcrowdings in
classrooms, teacher absenteeism, limited teaching/learning materials, and limited data on learning
and undefined information pathways are critical issues facing the sub-sector.

High quality leadership is crucial in establishing a central purpose and vision for a school and the
achievement of high quality educational outcomes for pupils at the basic education level.
The primary purpose of school leadership and management is to create and sustain an environment that
underpins high quality pupil care, learning and teaching.
As a Basic education school leader, these are critical elements you will have to ensure for your school to
improve and they are called the 7Es:
i. Ensuring consistently good teaching and learning for all students including students with special needs,
ii. Ensuring teachers have basic knowledge and skills of a competency-based curriculum that is learner
centered,
iii. Ensuring ethical behavior from staff and students and improved attendance of teachers and staff ,
iv. Ensuring resources are manage properly,
v. Ensuring the school becomes a professional learning community,
vi. Ensuring partnerships beyond the school to encourage parental support for learning and new learning
opportunities,
vii. Ensuring classroom supervision, schedule planning and improved learning outcomes.
1. Basic Education Leadership includes:
i. Leading School Quality Improvement:
a. Promote a culture of improvement, collaboration, innovation and creativity in learning,
teaching and assessment;
b. Lead the School Quality Improvement Planning process in collaboration with the SMC;
c. Lead school self-assessment to ensure that improvement plans are being implemented and
progress is being made;
d. Foster a commitment to inclusion, equality of opportunity and the holistic development of
each pupil;
e. Manage the planning of lesson plans and implementation of the school curriculum;
f. Foster teacher professional development that enriches teachers’ and pupils’ learning;
g. Lead classroom supervision and provide feedback to teachers on strength and weaknesses;
h. Carry out teacher performance appraisal and keep proper filing of school records;
i. Host regular meetings with school staff that support school quality improvement;
j. Ensure PTAs meetings are held regularly and reports from school self-assessment and
DEOs visits are presented to the PTA ensure policies and regulations issued by the
Ministry of Education are implemented.
k. Support age appropriate enrollment and introduce programs for accelerated learning for
over-age students.

ii. Managing the School as an Organization:

 a. Establishing an orderly, secure and healthy learning environment, and maintain it through
effective communication;
b. Managing the school’s human, physical and financial resources so as to create and
maintain a learning organization;
c. Managing challenging and complex situations in a manner that demonstrates equality,
fairness and justice;
d. Developing and implement a system to promote professional responsibility and
accountability;
e. Managing school data for decision making and reporting and,
f. annually complete and submit the Education Management Information System (EMIS)
school census form.

iii. Leading school development:

a. Communicate the guiding vision for the school and lead its realization in the context of
the school’s characteristics spirit;
b. Lead the school’s engagement in a continuous process of self;
c. Build and maintain relationships with parents, with other schools, and with the wider
community;
d. Manage, lead and mediate change to respond to the evolving needs of the school and to
changes in education.
iv. Developing leadership capacity:
a. Critique practices of teachers and staff and develop their understanding of effective and
sustainable leadership;
b. Empower staff to take on and carry out leadership roles;
c. Promote and facilitate the development of pupil voice, pupil participation, and pupil
leadership.
v. Summary:
The key points to remember is that as a principal of a Basic Education School, you will have to:
a. Lead your school quality improvement
b. Manage your school as an organization
c. Lead school development
d. Develop leadership capacity

Unit1c. Leading and Managing Secondary Schools (Grades 10-12)

Secondary Schools Challenges in Liberia:
Challenges facing secondary schools in Liberia are:
a) Secondary schools are clustered in urban areas leaving many districts with inadequate provision.
b) Children from rural areas or poor families are less likely to complete secondary school, and a
number of remote counties have few high schools exacerbating inequality.
c) A number of counties have a worryingly low proportion of female secondary students and poor
gender parity indices.
d) Although it is hard to measure the extent of the issue, a proportion of students experience sexual
gender-based violence and many female students are excluded due to poverty, pregnancy, safety or
lack of basic infrastructure.
e) Schools also face the challenge of overage students; approximately 84 percent of secondary
students are one or more years older than their grade level.
f) A lack of qualified teachers has led to high pupil/qualified teacher ratios, especially in senior high
school and in rural counties. Nationally, only around a third of secondary teachers have the
minimum qualification and there are indications of shortages of language, math and science
teachers. Furthermore, there are very few female secondary teachers, particularly in government
schools.
g) A significant number of secondary schools lack basic infrastructure, such as functional latrines,
science laboratories, libraries, and other learning facilities.
h) Although textbook ratios are adequate in secondary schools due to two large donor-funded
procurements in the last five years, evidence suggests these textbooks could be more effectively
utilized by students.
i) As a consequence of these persistent challenges, learning outcomes are poor. Around 60 percent of
students pass the grade 9 and 12 examinations but almost all of them are passing in the lowest
ranked 3rd Division. Non-government schools significantly outperform public schools. Moving to
the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2018 was a major step, as
WASSCE syllabuses include a wider range of technical and vocational subjects. Significant
investments in teacher quality, learning materials, and infrastructure are needed to elevate the
quality of teaching and learning in many schools.

A school principal is a primary leader in a school building. A good leader always leads by example. A
principal should be positive, enthusiastic, have his hand in the day-to-day activities of the school, and listen
to what his constituents are saying.
An effective leader is available to teachers, staff members, parents, students, and community
members. He/she stays calm in difficult situations, thinks before acting, and puts the needs of the school
before himself/herself.

Secondary education is the stage of education following Basic education and covers grades10-12.
Management responsibilities in Secondary Education includes:
a) Management for school goals: explicit management via the school’s goals, vision and quality
improvement plans;
b) Instructional management: actions to improve teachers’ instruction and curriculum
implementation;
c) Direct supervision of instruction in the school: actions to directly supervise teachers’ instruction
and learning outcomes;
d) Accountable management: managing accountability to DEOs, CEOs and the Central Ministry of
Education;
e) Bureaucratic management: management actions mostly aimed at bureaucratic procedures

Additionally, Secondary principals are also responsible for:

a) Facilities management: This consists of secondary but time-consuming functions: management of
premises, facilities, ancillary activities (catering, boarding, etc.). They often require much technical
competence. Most of these functions can be delegated given sufficient human resources with
adequate skills;
b) Financial management: Depending on the size and financial autonomy of the school, this may be
of very variable complexity. In schools which themselves manage the totality of their resources, it
may prove very time-consuming: drawing up the budget, placing orders, paying invoices and
paying school staff entail burdens fully comparable with those of a small or medium-sized
enterprise. It is generally done by a specialist staff but remains the responsibility of the head
teacher, who must have a basic understanding of these matters to grasp the issues and give the
necessary instructions;
c) Human resources management: This is of greater or lesser importance depending on the school’s
responsibilities for staff recruitment, promotion and training. The school’s control of its human
resources policy, although a major burden and responsibility, is also a key tool for implementing its
teaching policy;
d) Administrative management Advances in technology, IT and communications have made these
tasks much easier, making them routine and increasing opportunities for adapting and making use
of the data gathered;
 e) Management of teaching: The set of what are described as teaching tasks performed in a school is
quite varied and its boundaries are not fully defined. The school’s central activity, the process of
teaching pupils, is influenced by virtually every aspect of its functioning. Management of teaching
is considered to relate to the content of teaching, its organization and methods, and assessment of
pupils’ learning and of their progress;

A recent study conducted by the University of Georgia theorizes that today’s principals need to be engaged
in at least five key functions to facilitate reforms and improvements in schools. These include:
a) Vision – Leaders must articulate a strong and positive vision of how they want to improve the
school, along with showcasing adeptness at identifying problems and creating solutions.
b) Planning and goal-setting – Leaders need to identify clear and achievable goals, and then
communicate them to other stakeholders.
c) Sharing the decision-making process – Leaders cooperate and work with faculty, staff, students,
parents, and others. They also have enough flexibility to allow plans to evolve as necessary.
d) Empowering and taking initiative – An effective school leader keeps the restructuring process
churning and then allows faculty and staff to bring their own visions and initiatives to the planning
table. This allows them to “own” the sharing of ideas and perspectives of programs under
consideration.
e) Development of faculty and staff – Proper leadership includes providing support and opportunities
for mentorship and professional development, especially for new teachers. The first three years are
critical to the development of their skills. Principals can visit and observe classrooms on a regular
basis, offering to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of educators and support staff plus provide
other constructive feedback.

Task for unit 1: Leading levels and types of Education

Group Task:

Upon presentation and discussion of the challenges associated with the four levels of education above
including inclusive education, participants should be divided into groups of four (ECE, Basic, Secondary
and Inclusive Education).
1. Assign each group with one of the levels of education highlighted above
2. Each group will identify challenges associated with each of the school level (Challenges that
should be addressed by the school)
3. Upon the identification of the challenges associated with the school level, each group should
identify mitigating measures for each of the challenges reflecting on their respective schools.