Abstract:

Strong and effective leadership is important nowadays not only at higher education institutions but also in primary and secondary schools. Strong and effective leadership is a key force for educational changes necessary for a modern European education system that is able to face social and economic challenges like growth, competitiveness and social cohesion.

School leaders of primary and secondary schools, in particular the head teachers, are an important component of education process quality assurance in these education institutions, as they are the link between school management and teachers, between different levels of education and training, families, the local community and the labour market. The head teachers also have a crucial responsibility in ensuring the creation of a safe and conducive environment for teaching and learning and student success. Also according the head teachers should have a relevant position and play appropriate role in the maintenance and improvement of educational quality.

Political changes in Eastern Europe at the end of the last century initiated transformation processes of the systems of education in these countries, and Slovakia was not an exception. The whole system of education in Slovakia, including school leadership, has undergone significant changes during the period of the last three decades. In case of school leadership the introduced changes were influenced by new conditions in which schools were operating. Schools obtained autonomous status which meant that a great deal of responsibilities was passed from the central authorities to local municipalities and individual schools. The objective was to empower school communities by giving schools greater decision-making authority over key aspects of their operation such as staffing and budgets.

The increased autonomy of schools meant that schools and their head teachers started to face new tasks and challenges. Calls for the professionalization of head teachers became part of a wider movement for school reforms. Previously, a head teacher was a practicing teacher with added technical and administrative duties, whilst from that time a head teacher was to be a professional, a full-time manager responsible for developing instructional, human, financial and physical resources to ensure the sustainable quality of the education offered and provided by the school.

The paper will present a content analysis of the changes which have been introduced into the legislation on education in Slovakia. This analysis will discuss the transformation process which the system of education in Slovakia has undergone during the period of the last three decades, within which a great deal of responsibilities was passed from the central authorities to local municipalities and individual schools. The changed conditions and the increased autonomy of schools meant that schools had to face new tasks and challenges. The new demands required new professional competences and calls for the professionalization of school leaders became part of a wider movement for school reforms. Beside the above-mentioned analysis the paper will present some results of the research aimed at an evaluation of the scope of autonomy given to schools and powers given to head teachers and the duty of the head teachers to assess the teachers.

Keywords:

Head teachers, school communities, Slovakia, new professional competences, schools autonomy.