The school principals’ role is intensifying, the profession is ageing. Working conditions are often unattractive and partner countries are facing decreasing numbers of applications for principal positions. Deputy principals and teachers feel that the additional rewards offered to principals are too small to compensate for the large increase in workload. The partnership aimed at contributing to ease some of the school leaders’ tasks through: 1. Developing skills for effective school leadership and collaboration 2. Creating a network of institutions for future cooperation 3. Accessibility of improved and innovative materials for school leaders 4. Making school leadership an attractive profession 5. Creating a positive school environment where all pupils´/ students’ needs and talents are recognized and supported. The main objectives of the project were: • Increasing quality in the work, activities and practices of schools and institutions involved, opening to new actors locally and transnationally. • Enabling transformation and change (at individual, organisational or sectoral level), leading to improvements and new approaches, in proportion to the context of each organisation.
In the recent time, schools were confronted with a complex pack of challenges related to Covid-19 pandemic and war conflicts that resulted in migration and the necessity to accept pupils with a different mother tongue. In these rapidly changing societies, schools are under pressure to change. School leaders in partner countries are accountable for students´ and pupils´ learning outcomes, for teachers´ training and quality of teaching, for administration and reporting to the superior bodies, for budget and finance etc. There is also a growing demand for inclusive and multiculturally sensitive learning opportunities for increasingly diverse groups of students. School leaders need to master these new forms of pedagogy so that they can monitor and evaluate their teachers’ practice. Therefore, the partner defined the following areas of the school leaders´ needs that the project activities will address to: 1. Vision and Plan definition. 2. Data and Resources utilisation. 3. Techniques to empower teachers and cultivate leadership skills. 4. Making school a part of the Community. 5. Creating collaborative, inclusive learning environments. 6. Sustaining their enthusiasm and how to ignite the others.