Formulación del proceso de aplicación de la propuesta

Principals and deputy principals play a key role

Principals and deputy principals have a pivotal role in creating a school climate that supports effective teaching and learning. Principals and deputy principals need to have a thorough understanding of how learners learn as well as the way in which the school should be organised and teachers supported to achieve the best results possible. The leadership of principals and deputy principals is essential if schools are to look critically at their own work, identify how improvements can be made, implement actions that can make a difference for learners, and monitor student outcomes effectively. It is critically important that principals are engaged continually in leading, supporting and monitoring improvements in literacy and numeracy from junior infants to sixth class in primary schools and from first to sixth year in post-primary schools.

Enabling principals and deputy principals to lead improvement in literacy and numeracy

A detailed discussion of how school principals and deputy principals can best be enabled to develop the broad range of skills and abilities that they need to carry out their role as leaders of learning is beyond the scope of this strategy document. Instead, this chapter focuses on the supports and professional development opportunities that principals and deputy principals will need in order to lead improvement in literacy and numeracy in their schools. Of course, many of the skills that they will need to improve literacy and numeracy will be equally useful as they lead learning generally in schools.

To lead the improvement of literacy and numeracy in their schools, principals and deputy principals need opportunities

• to develop their own understanding of how best literacy and numeracy skills are developed in children and

young people

• to develop their understanding of how assessment can be used by teachers to plan students’ learning, to

diagnose learning difficulties and to provide evidence of students’ learning

• to acquire the necessary skills to enable them to lead evidence-based school self-evaluation and school

improvement. Principals should lead, support

and monitor improvements in literacy and numeracy throughout their schools

Actions to improve the ability of principals and deputy principals to lead improvement in literacy and numeracy

Objective Detail Responsible for this action Indicative date

Improve the understanding

principals and deputy principals of the most effective approaches to improving the teaching of literacy and numeracy and the use of assessment to support this

• Provide CPD courses for all serving principals and deputy

principals on

o effective approaches to the teaching of literacy and numeracy (including literacy and numeracy

development within disciplines and across the curriculum)

o the use of assessment to support the planning of students’ learning, to diagnose learning difficulties and to provide evidence of students’ learning

Department of Education and Skills in conjunction with education centres and other CPD providers

From 2012

Support principals and deputy principals in implementing robust school self-evaluation, focussing in particular on improvements in literacy and numeracy

• Provide guidance and training to principals and deputy

principals on effective school self-evaluation in conjunction with principals’ professional organisations (IPPN and NAPD) and other CPD providers, focussing on

improvements in the teaching and assessment of literacy and numeracy

Department of Education and Skills in conjunction with IPPN/NAPD, education centres and other CPD providers

From 2011-12

• Provide comprehensive materials (augmented and

developed further over time) to support the implementation of robust self-evaluation in schools

Department of Education and Skills in conjunction with IPPN/NAPD, education centres and other CPD providers First materials developed by 2011; revised and extended in future years

• Provide on-line advice and support on the implementation

of school self-evaluation

Department of Education and Skills in conjunction with IPPN/NAPD, education centres and other CPD providers

From 2011

• Include a review of the school’s self-evaluation process in

all whole-school evaluations of schools

Objective Detail Responsible for this action Indicative date

Improve leadership development programmes for new and aspiring principals and deputy principals

• Ensure that all leadership development courses for aspiring

and newly appointed principals and deputy principals contain mandatory units focussed on

o developing an understanding of effective approaches to the teaching of literacy and numeracy (including literacy and numeracy development within disciplines and across the curriculum)

o developing an understanding of the use of assessment to support the planning of students’ learning, to diagnose learning difficulties and to provide evidence of students’ learning

o developing the skills needed to lead robust, evidence-based school self-evaluation in schools that focuses on improving teaching and learning

Department of Education and Skills and CPD providers

2011-12

• Ensure that all newly appointed principals who have not

already completed a relevant course in school leadership have access to such a course during their first two years as principal (courses to be delivered using a mix of face-to- face sessions, workshops and online modules)

Department of Education and Skills 2012

• Explore with the Teaching Council and other relevant

bodies the feasibility of establishing systems for the accreditation of leadership development courses for principals and deputy principals

Department of Education and Skills in conjunction with the Teaching Council, higher education awarding bodies and others

2016

• Consider, in conjunction with the education partners and

other relevant interests, the possibility of making successful completion of an accredited leadership development programme a requirement for future principals (either as a pre-requisite for appointment or as a necessary condition of confirmation as principal within a defined period)

Department of Education and Skills in conjunction with the education partners and CPD providers