Christos Saitis

Satisfaction of Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers with Primary School Organization: Evidence from Greece.

This article investigates and compares the satisfaction levels of pre-service and in-service primary school teachers with respect to school organization and administration. Primary data were collected through questionnaires completed by 315 pre-service teachers and 439 in-service teachers in Greece. The following six factors of school organization were identified: school climate, principal’s role, school organization, teacher incentives, role of superiors, and teachers’ role. According to the findings, the satisfaction ratings of pre-service and in-service teachers were significantly different on all of the above factors. Specifically, the satisfaction ratings of pre-service teachers were significantly lower than those of in-service teachers on all factors, except for the teacher incentives factor, where they were significantly higher. The article examines the implications of the findings for the job satisfaction of pre-service and in-service teachers and offers suggestions on measures that can be used to enhance the work motivation of teaching staff

Views of Future and Current Teachers on the Effectiveness of Primary School Leadership: Evidence from Greece

The paper examines the perceptions of future and current primary school teachers in Greece regarding the effectiveness of their school leaders. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires completed by 126 future and 94 current teachers. According to the findings, future teachers were less positive than their current counterparts in their assessment of school leadership. Several future teachers expected their future leaders to be overly controlling and authoritarian. Current teachers, on the other hand, were more concerned about the appointment of individuals to leadership posts with no prior managerial training. The paper discusses the implications of the findings for educational policy, focusing on the need for changes in the professional preparation of both teachers and school leaders.

The Function of Planning and Programming

The success of management in a typical organization (and hence a school unit) demands effective planning and programming. Planning and clarifying the school goals, and determining ways that these goals can be achieved, are the main responsibilities of the school leader. Indeed, plans are the basis for coordinating and directing school activities so that the school can succeed in achieving its goals. Taking into consideration that, today, schools function within a very complicated and competitive environment, then planning and programming is the most necessary of managerial functions. This chapter: Briefly analyses the terms “plan”, “purpose” and “strategy” and emphasizes the significance of planning and programming in a typical organization. Examines the basic elements (procedures, techniques) of planning and programming and refers to factors which influence the determination of a program, both positively and negatively. Presents, in a practical way, the procedure for planning and programming at the school level. Examines the necessity of, and the procedure for, strategic management in modern organizations and summarizes aspects of strategic planning within the educational field. Presents the strategic changes in education and summarizes key aspects of programming and good time management that we should expect of school leaders. Relevant case studies are also presented.

Conflict Resolution and Complaint Management at School

The conflicts and oppositions that arise in a school unit are diverse and numerous. Since the school head is responsible for the smooth and effective functioning of the school unit, they should recognize these conflicts, be able to perceive their possible resolution and accurately forecast whether these conflicts will make a positive or negative contribution to the school’s performance.

Basic Dimensions of School Leadership

Over the last few decades, there has been much research into school effectiveness showing that the role of the school leader significantly influences the effectiveness of school performance. The significance of the school leader’s role stems from their position within the educational hierarchy and their duties. While, in theory, this position is at the bottom of such a hierarchy, it nevertheless plays a key communicative role between the upper and the lower leadership levels. Each program of educational policy created by the central administration is filtered by the school leadership. Therefore, the implementation of the educational program within individual schools is very much influenced by the abilities and psychology of the school leader. Indeed, in an appropriately organized educational system, the school leader plays the most serious and significant role in managing the human factor.

Leadership and Leaders

Leadership is an important aspect of the managerial function, aiming to motivate an organization’s members to carry out their work effectively. Indeed, a leader can be perceived as a person who exercises his/her influence over organizational members in such a way that they feel encouraged to follow him/her willingly. Given that this influence cannot be left to luck, leadership presupposes that the person in this role of responsibility, such as a school head, has the skills necessary to lead effectively. In the case of a school head, in order for this to happen, they should have the ability to combine both material and human resources in a way that optimizes school performance.

Dimensions of School Management Leadership

It is generally accepted that in order to manage a school unit appropriately, the school should have the capacity to organize itself in such way that it aims to use its available material and human resources to achieve its targets as efficiently as possible. To this end, the role of the school head in the functioning of the school unit is crucially important and catalytic since, bureaucratic activities aside, their key role is to provide leadership. A leader’s behaviour and work ethic sets the example that inspires and motivates educators/colleagues, thus creating the appropriate climate for a positive and productive collaboration with all staff within the school. Indeed we consider that, in the field of education, motivation is an important factor for the successful achievement of the school’s targets. In particular, in order for educators to perform efficiently, a constructive and positive climate is absolutely necessary if all the methods and techniques are be harnessed for efficient and effective performance.

Crisis Management at School

In this day and age, crises are a fact of everyday life, particularly in the working environment. School units are no exception to the rule, where crises are a common phenomenon. For example, a school’s building infrastructure may cause accidents for teaching staff and/or students on the premises in the wake of gale-force winds, fire, earthquake or storm. Furthermore, in the school yard, accidents or injuries can happen due to the poor condition of the school yard, the morphology of the ground or a fight between students. Any of these situations can bring about a crisis. In the case of a school unit, a given crisis may provoke feelings of frustration or even psychological distress among children (of any age) that in turn may negatively influence their learning ability. This chapter: Analyses the terms “crisis”, “danger” and “accident” and examines what constitutes a healthy and secure working environment for a school Investigates the roots of violence at school and suggests ways of confronting it Presents a general framework for a healthy and secure environment for both students and teaching staff and refers to the reasons why it is absolutely necessary for schools to be ready to manage a crisis Develops an action plan for the coordination of resources when a crisis occurs in a school environment Finally, it presents case studies from real school scenarios

Practical Strategies for the Teachers’ Council Operation

Group work and teamwork have become essential in organizations which these days are getting ever more complex due to the continuous technological, economical and social changes occurring in their external environment. As the complexity increases, more people become involved in the decision-making processes as teams try to resolve problems that emerge within the organization.

Decision-Making and Problem Solving

Decision-making is a fundamental activity that significantly influences the efficiency of an organization. That is because this activity is at the heart of management in every typical organization. Therefore, one of the key prerequisites for an educational leader is to have effective decision-making skills.