Petros Pashiardis

Strategic planning and education: the case of Cyprus

Aims to examine whether strategic planning can be effectively implemented in the Cyprus educational system. Initially discusses the strategic planning process and what it is all about. Then examines the main elements of the process: strategic analysis, strategic choice and strategy implementation. Subsequently refers to the application of the process in education and attempts a comparison between business and education and, at the same time, examines the extent to which this process can be effectively used in educational institutions. A brief historical background of the Cyprus Educational System is also given and, finally, a strategic plan that can be adopted for the system is proposed. Investigates all these aspects by reviewing the pertinent literature and drawing from personal professional experience.

A Validation Study of the Leadership Styles of a Holistic Leadership Theoretical Framework.

Purpose – The overall purpose of the European Union‐funded Leadership Improvement for Student Achievement (LISA) project was to explore how leadership styles, as conceptualized in the developed dynamic holistic leadership framework, directly or indirectly affect student achievement at the lower secondary level of education in seven European countries. This paper seeks to address this issue.Design/methodology/approach – In its methodological design the study is a mixture of research methods and collaborative action research shared by acting school leaders and researchers. A series of statistical analyses was carried out in order to gather evidence whether the data from the LISA project supported the initially developed holistic leadership theoretical framework. Consequently, first some descriptive statistics are introduced in order to acquaint the reader with the kind of data the survey used from the schoolteacher questionnaires. Further, some explanations are laid out with regard to the methodologies empl...

Researching the Characteristics of Effective Primary School Principals in Cyprus: A Qualitative Approach

This article reports on a study which sought to identify the characteristics and behaviours of effective primary school principals in Cyprus. Forty-nine principals were identified by a panel of inspectors from the Ministry as excellent in their jobs. The researcher spent between 10 and 15 hours with each of these principals. Preliminary findings from the interview data he collected indicate that effective principals in Cyprus: (1) have a great love and ambition for their profession; (2) have pride in the national heritage and traditions of their country; (3) are deep thinkers and constant learners; (4) are good administrators; (5) will often take risks by opposing the will of the Ministry; and, (6) are good managers of time.

Teacher Participation in Decision Making

Teachers can take a greater role in the overall success of the school when they commit to being active participants in the decision‐making process. Moreover, teachers need to feel they have more to offer to the school than just teaching within their classroom. Suggests that schools must understand that the entire system will benefit when teachers play an active role in controlling their work environment. Finally, everyone must be provided with as much recent research on participatory decision‐making processes as possible before implementation can be achieved successfully. At the same time, specific training should also be provided.

Realization: The Change Imperative for Deepening District‐wide Reform

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Democracy and Leadership in the Educational System of Cyprus.

Life is lived in an era characterised by complexity and instability. Pedagogical ideals or educational goals are usually determined based on the socio‐political and cultural period in which people find themselves at a specific point in its history. Then, in what ways do people train their principals to be models of and act in line with those democratic values and ideals that aim at fostering good citizens? Furthermore, how do these goal statements fare in relation to the moral purpose of schools and especially focus on the social goals of schools? These and similar issues are dealt with in this paper. More specifically, there is a description of the major restructuring initiatives towards school empowerment and democracy introduced in the Cyprus education system. Further, an attempt is made in order to show how these changes have affected (or not) the education system with respect to personnel management, the power of the centre, democracy and the curriculum, and democracy and inspection.

An insight into elementary principalship in Cyprus: the teachers’ perspective

Explores the perceptions of elementary school teachers regarding their principals and their leadership styles. The underlying and guiding) assumption for this project was that the effectiveness of a leader mainly depended on how others view him/her as a leader. As indicated in the results, teachers have a positive attitude towards their principals in general, but there are some areas where principals need to improve, such as, personnel management and professional growth and development. Furthermore, the bureaucratic and highly centralized structure of the Cyprus educational system proved to be ineffective and should be abandoned. Principals must be given motives for self‐improvement.

Successful School Leadership in Rural Contexts: The Case of Cyprus

The purpose of this article is twofold as it aims to compliment the effort of identifying the personal qualities and professional competencies generic to effective school leaders and to contribute to the comparison of effective leadership in diverse cultural contexts. Five examples of successful school principals in rural primary schools in Cyprus are described as part of the International Successful School Principals Project (ISSPP). Purposive sampling was used in a multi-perspective research methodology employing a semi-structured interview protocol. The findings of the case studies formed the basis of a framework of successful leadership according to which people-centered leadership, clearly communicated values and visions, a strong emphasis on the promotion of learning, the use of networked leadership as well as the creative management of competing values are all vital constituents of a successful leadership. The implications are significant both for practitioners and for policymakers since the framework demonstrates that successful leadership is effectuated through the realization of multiple intertwined leadership domains especially with regards to the specific context of rural primary schools in Cyprus.

Professional Development of School Leaders in Cyprus: Is It Working?.

School heads and assistant headteachers in Cyprus attend in‐service training programmes as part of their professional development, after they are promoted to their new leadership post. A review of the literature highlights the significance of a needs analysis when designing and/or reforming in‐service training programmes. Nevertheless, there seems to be a lack of studies focusing on the leaders’ views regarding their own professional development and needs. The present study investigates school leaders’ views regarding the in‐service training programmes they formally attend in Cyprus (both with regards to content as well as organizational aspects of the courses), and whether specific personal characteristics of school leaders are associated with their views. The research was based on both interviews with school leaders (assistant heads and school heads) and also a semi‐structured questionnaire. Content and statistical analysis of the participants’ views revealed that they prefer specific training, especially designed for their needs and according to their specific leadership post. The study contributes to the fields of educational leadership and professional development, since it provides insights into the perceptions of school leaders about the continuing professional development they receive and offers useful information for the organization of professional development programmes for school leaders. Finally, some specific suggestions for improvement in the field of training for school leaders are provided.

Group Decision Making: The Role of the Principal

There is a long body of research in the area of group decision making which is expanding constantly due to the growing importance which is placed now on participating models in most organizations. Views the role of the principal in three models of group decision making. The models examined are the Vroom‐Yetton decision‐making model, the Delphi Technique and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). Recent research on effective school strategies emphatically states that school personnel must be a part of decisions affecting schools and that leaders must be strong decision makers. Effective schools research suggests that the principal′s leadership and decision‐making style is the most important factor in a school′s performance. Shows how this style can be implemented in reality.