Reflective questions for school leaders

Group Assignment
Dear Trainees, Greetings! Please join group five and complete the following questions
(#1-83) based on your own understanding of the training module. These questions are
intended to:
1. Enhance your comprehension of the training you are undertaking.
2. Prepare you for the upcoming exit examination.
Note: Your answers should be concise and succinct, not exceeding 20 words.
(Prepared by Mr. Birhanu Sintayehu (Assistant Professor, PhD Candidate @AAU)

1. Do you believe the Ethiopian education system is facing significant challenges? What
are the main issues or problems that the Ethiopian education system is currently
grappling with? Yes. Lack of the implementation of Effective Instruction in the
School, Less Community Participation, Lack of Effective and Professional School
Leadership, Absence of Effective School Improvement Planning and the increased un
employment power in the country.
2. Who do you think is responsible for the failing education system in our country?
 Education Policy /Government/ , Education Leaders, Teachers, Students, and
the Community.
3. For the currently failing education system, what do you believe are the root causes? Is
it policy, curriculum, leadership, teachers, or something else? Feel free to share your
assumptions.

Policy , misunderstanding ( miss mindset) of all stake holders about Educational Free
Promotion Policy, Illegality of Non Governmental Educational Colleges , ( Manufacturing
Forged Documents including Government Officials), Teacher Centered Instruction,
Politicized Educational Leaders and Dissatisfied Teachers .

4. How would you evaluate the appointment and selection process for school principals
and supervisors? Is something wrong? Yes. The School Leaders and School
Supervisors have been selected based on their Political commitment rather than their
Professional Skills.
 5. What are the key challenges faced by your respective school?
 Lack of Community Participation.
 Lack of Effective and Professional School Leaders.
 Instability of the School b/se of Political Crisis.
 Stake holders’ resistance of Changes.
 Poor Teaching Learning Methodology and Assessment and Evaluation.
 Absence of Resource Mobilization.
6. Why has school leadership become a priority in the continuous school improvement
agenda?

B/se, the School Leaderships are the key Role players (Roadmap) in:-

 In the School Improvement Program.

 Teachers’ Development Program.
 Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development.
 In the School Improvement Planning, its implementation, Evaluation and
Assessment and to give feedback.
7. Why do you think the quality of education in Ethiopia has been deteriorating over
time?
 Stake holders’ resistance to Changes.
 Poor Teaching Learning Methodology and Assessment and Evaluation.
 Absence of Resource Mobilization
 Lack of Effective and Professional Skillful School Leaders.
 Misunderstanding of the stake holders on National Education Policy.
8. What would you recommend to get our education system back on the right track?
Unfreezing the old Educational Policy, implementing, continuing and refreezing the
new Educational Policy.
Promoting continuous TDP and CPD program.
Delivering continuous Educational training.
Enhancing Wise use of the Technology in Education System.
Training and assigning Skillful and Professional Educational Stakeholders.
Absolute isolation of Education from Politics.
9. Is your school decentralized? If yes, how is it decentralized? If no, what are the
manifestations of the lack of decentralization?

Yes. The overall activities in the School are responsible for;-

 School Leaders, Parent Teachers Association and all stake holders.

 Less influences of Political Authorities.
10. Who is responsible for administering the budget of your school?
Parent Teacher Association.
11. What are the main sources of income for your school?
 Mobilization of the Community, Sub-City Office, Support of NGO and Local
University.
 Allocation from Sub-City Education Office.
 Income from Transcript.
12. As a leader, what are you doing to improve the living standards of teachers?
 Providing Entrepreneurship training and organize them as PLC.
 Motivating and acknowledging their good works.
 Providing some incentives from the school budget.
 Involve them in different training accordingly.
 Negotiate with the higher Authorities to facilitate housing.
 Facilitate the public Transportation.
13. Do you believe your school needs improvement? If so, in what areas?
Yes. In;-
 Preparation, implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of SI Planning.
 Inclusive School Leadership.
 CPD and Teaching Methodology.
 Measurement and Evaluation of the Instruction.
 Resource Mobilization.
 School Community Cooperation.
14. Who is responsible for driving school improvement in your institution?
 All Stake holders.(Government, School Leaders, Teachers ,Students,
Community National and International NGOs ).
15. What are the major manifestations of wastage in your school, such as student dropout
and repetition? Which one is the most significant indicator of wastage from a cost-
benefit analysis perspective?
 Repetition.
16. On what do school leaders tend to spend most of their time?
 On Administrative works (routine works) rather than Leading Effective
Teaching learning activities.
17. How can we better manage and control teacher time on task?
By;-
  Setting action plan.
 Exercising Monitoring, Evaluating their performances.
 Creating active communication.
 Physical and Class Observation.
 Acknowledging and motivating their works.
18. How would you evaluate your own time management skills?
 It is poor and unplanned.
19. What is the social status of teachers, from both the teacher's perspective and society's
perspective?
 Teachers are not interested and dishonest on themselves and to their
profession based on their Economic status.
 Society has high value and respecting of teaching profession accordingly.
20. Why and how do teachers need to update their subject matter knowledge, and why do
educational leaders need to build their leadership competency?
Teachers;-
 Improving CPD and TDP.
 Upgrading and updating their standard.
 Involving in Mentoring and Coaching practices.
 Collecting reliable data from all stakeholders.
School Leaders to;-
 Prepare smart SIP.
 Promote inclusive L/Ship approach.
 Ensure quality of education by enhancing continuous student outcome
21. How and why do we need to improve the classroom teaching and learning process?
 Ensure quality of education by enhancing continuous student outcome
 Preparing active daily lesson plan.
 Making physical and class observation.
 Motivating teachers’ commitment.
 Facilitating and initiating improvements.
 Increase continuous student performances.
22. Define gender equality, inclusive schools and classrooms, and diversity management?
 Gender equality is the equal participation of male and female students in the
School.
  Inclusive schools and classrooms is allowing disable students in the teaching
and learning activities.
 Diversity management is giving equal access and opportunity and removing
the barriers of discrimination towards women and marginalized population.
23. Explain why we need to apply equity and equality principles in schools and
classrooms.
B/se;-
 B/se Equity and equality ensures equal students participation from
urban ,rural male, female ,economic status to have equal right,
responsibility and opportunities in the school.
24. Who is responsible for ensuring gender equality, inclusion, and diversity in schools?
Government, School Leaders, Teachers, Students and Community.
25. As a school leader, how would you reduce discrimination and enhance inclusion in
your school?
 By giving training and awareness.
 Implementing the rule and regulation of education
 Improving active community participation.
 Sharing good work experiences.
26. Define school improvement? Why we bother about it?
 It is well tested process for identifying and addressing the goal of the
school to ensure quality of education.
 B/se it is the basic and important to enhances students’ performances.
27. What are the key features of effective school improvement plans?
 Address the standards of Mo E and REB. of the Students’ achievements.
 Involves all stake holders.
 Prepare and use reliable data and research based.
 Easy to understand to all stake holders.
 Flexible to change and well tested.
28. Explain the components of the General Education Quality Improvement Program
(GEQIP).
 Teachers’ Development Program.
 Continuous Professional Development Program.
 School Improvement Program.
 Civics and Ethical Education.
  ICT.
 Teaching Learning.
29. Explain the domains of a school improvement program and their general goals.
 Teaching Learning.
 School Leadership.
 Save and Conducive Environment.
 Active Community Participation.
30. Who are the key stakeholders that should participate in planning and implementing a
school improvement program?
 All Stake holders. ( Government, SLs, Teachers, Students, Community).
31. What are the phases and purposes of a school development plan?
 Action plan, reliable data(Research), SWOT Analysis, Prioritizing problems,
Setting Goal and standards, time of implementation,
 It is used to enhance continuous students performances (ensure quality of
education).
32. Why is it important to ensure a safe and conducive environment for student learning?
 Increases student participation.
 Motivate all stakeholders.
 Enhances the uses of school facilities.
 Promote stake holders’ emotional intelligences.
33. What is school change? Do you believe our education system needs reforms? If so, in
what areas?
 It is the understanding and transforming the schools by all stakeholders,
specially, by SLs.
 Yes. Preparing SIP, Teaching Methodology, Assessment and Evaluation of the
instruction.
 Community participation and Resource mobilization.
 Digital Technology.
34. What factors can make schools resistant to change? How can we address this
resistance?
 Old work experiences, Lack of commitment, Lack of resources.
 By having shared vision, mission and core values, unfreezing, improving
change, and implementing change by refreezing.
35. What is change management? Who are the change agents in a school setting?
 Is understanding and leading the change with reliable data and research.
 School Leaders.
36. Improving school environments should aim to promote three protective factors. What
are they and how can they be explained?
 School Facilities, Teaching Learning activities, Effective School Leadership.
 School based support, active student and community engagement.
 It used to facilitate to attain education quality.
37. What are the positive and negative effect of globalization in your school?
 Positive effect;- add new knowledge, methodology, introduce Digital
technology in education and understandings for all stake holders, initiates
innovations and discoveries.
 Negative effect;- motivate students for misuse of technology in education,
permits students for copy writing without critical thinking.
38. What is the role of risk assessment and management in initiating and managing
change in schools?
 Solve problems systematically.
 Used new strategies and approaches.
 Unfreeze, implementing, enhancing and refreezing changes.
 Enhance participation of PLC(Professional Learning Community).
39. How can a risk matrix help assess the likelihood and consequences of proposed
changes?
It is based on reliable data and action research by prioritizing the problems to
be solved.
40. Why do many school reform efforts fail most of the time?
 It is not based on reliable data and research (not well tested)
 Lack of commitment, Absence of inclusive School L/ship.
 Resistance from stake holders.
 Lack of initiative staff development.
41. What is the nature of changes in schools - are they always planned or unplanned? If it
planned, how are they planned? What are the major causes of change in schools?
  It is both planned and unplanned.. Planed change used formal standards and
guidelines set by Government or School Leaders to promote school
improvement through d/t strategies. unplanned change is based on content
specific and it may be nondirective and caused by school instability or
discouraged students’ performances or any other.
42. Explain the roles and responsibilities of the school leader, teachers, and school
committee during the design and implementation of a new curriculum, with the goal
of improving learning outcomes of student?
 School Leader;- understanding and setting smart SIP by monitoring,
evaluation and mobilization of all stake holders for its implementation.
 Teachers and school committee needs to unfreeze the old one and promote the
new to attain its goal.
43. Whose responsibility is it to coach or mentor novice teachers? What is the role of the
school leader in this regard?
 School Leaders coaching and the expertise teachers mentoring the novice
teachers with the overall activities in the teaching learning of the school to
increase student learning outcome.
44. As a school leader, what strategies would you suggest to minimize resistance to
changes?
 Training all the stakeholders and unfreezing the old one.
 Implementing and continuing the change.
 Refreezing the change with cooperation and mobilization of resources and
facilities.
45. Why are the school improvement rates in our school not as promising as you would
like them to be?
 Its planning is not based on action research and reliable data.
 Lack of commitment and resources.
 Lack of effective and inclusive School Leadership.
 Lack of stake holders motivation.
 School instability.
46. As a school leader, to what extent have you focused on continuous learning as a
roadmap to enhancing the school's effectiveness?
  My focus is high and committed .however, different constraints limits .Eg.
lack of resource, commitment of stake holders, misuse of Technology and
teachers’ economic content specific.
47. Who is the key person in the school responsible for promoting curriculum changes,
acting as a change agent, and overseeing implementation of newly designed
curriculum?
 School Leaders, Teachers, PTA and students.
48. Who are the instructional leaders in your school?
 Teacher and School Leaders.
49. Do you believe that improving the quality of teaching and learning processes in your
school demands time, effort, and commitment? If yes, how would you go about doing
this? Yes. By creating self and stake holder awareness ,developing action research,
providing support and giving feedback.
50. Who is responsible and accountable for the improvement of teaching and learning in
your school? School Leaders, Teachers, Students, Parents and government officials.
51. Who is responsible for delivering improved teaching and learning each day in the
classroom? Teachers and students.
52. What are the key components of effective teaching? Student centered methodology,
improved assessment and evaluation, usage of active instructional media, ensuring
equality, equity, diversity and providing Psychological support and class observation.
53. What are the parameters of effective teaching? Improvement of continuous students
outcome, giving formative and summative exams. providing Physical and class
clinical supervision.
54. Explain what an effective and efficient school is. Provide an example to support your
explanation. Effective school;- enhance students learning performances eg.60 %- %
85 % and efficient school implements active teaching learning by using all
efforts .Eg., score high grade in all subjects in both male and female students.
55. How can school leaders update their knowledge and enhance their competences for
managing effective teaching? By involving in continuous training(Updating),
increasing his educational standards(Upgrading) , making self-evaluation Experience
sharing and using Digital Technologies.
56. What are the challenges of implementing instructional leadership in resource-
constrained settings? School facilities like Laboratory room, Digital technology zone,
Reference books, stationaries and the other.
57. To what extent does variation in teaching quality explain variation in student
achievement compared to other school factors? Medium. But not constant it varies
based on content specific accordingly.
58. Who is responsible when learners fail in national or regional examinations?
Government(Education Policy), Educational Leaders, School Leaders, Teachers,
Students and Parents(PTA).
59. Have you ever conducted a self-evaluation of your school? Yes. And my school
standard is 3.
60. What is the ultimate goal of a school improvement program? Ensuring Education
quality by increasing student performances continuously.
61. What are the major activities carried out before, during, and after classroom
observations? Before:- preparing action plan , setting cheek lists, Making pre-
conference with supervisee. .
During:- greeting with class, cheeking objective of the lesson from the plan,
evaluating teachers’ personality, delivery of Academic and Pedagogical approaches,
student participation, Class management, Assessment and Evaluation.
After:- making post conference, promoting teachers strengths 1 st ,giving support to
promote his/her weakness and show future direction.
62. Explain why it is important to prepare for classroom observations.
 To monitor, assess and evaluate and give feedback for classroom instruction,
student participation. student outcome, provide support for teachers’ skill gap.
63. Discuss the tools and frameworks that can help facilitate continuous improvement in
effective teaching and learning. Effective School Improvement Plan, Active teaching
methodology, Monitoring, Evaluation and resource mobilization cooperatively, save
and conducive school environment, School facilities, Active assessment and
evaluation and Active School Leadership.
64. What should school leaders keep in mind when providing feedback to teachers? The
strong and weak side of teachers performances according to the standards and focused
on skill gaps.
65. What are the similarities and differences between result indicators and output
indicators in performance measurement?
 Similarity:- both used to ensure continuous enhancement of student
performances or school improvement.
  Differences;- Result indicator focused on or measures school change. While
output indicator measures the gradual enhancement, product of planed
activities.

66. What is the difference between monitoring and evaluation in the teaching and learning
process?
 Monitoring;- Regular on going ,act on keeping oversight ,focused on input
process outcomes, source of data field visit, routine system. Undertake by SLs
teachers, supervisor WEO community.
 Evaluation;- Periodic, Used Assessment, focus on effectiveness, relevance, Pre
post planning, undertake by external evaluators by WEO, MOE..
67. What is the importance of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in improving
instructional leadership?
 Used to have tested and real data.
 Identifies strength and weakness.
 Initiate and support for change.
 Used to make self -evaluation.
 Used to revise School Improvement Plan.
68. School needs are often unlimited while resources are limited. How can a school leader
successfully mobilize these limited school resources?
 Creating active community participation.
 Introducing Entrepreneurships.
 Implementing wise and save use of resources by prioritizing duties to be
implemented.
 Preparing project proposal for National and International NGOs.
69. Why is staff professional development important? What are the potential
consequences if it is not provided?
 B’s, Offers practical insight, methodologies and best practices to identify
knowledge and skill gaps.
 Identifies how to product training needs of the staff.
 L/ships establish objectives, collect and analyse data.
 Develop targeted training solutions.
 If it is not provided School Improvement Plan fail.
70. Explain the different stages involved in staff professional development.
 Identify needs.
Prepare CPD Plan.
Facilitate staff development actors.
Sustain Staff Development.

71. Why do Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs often fail to have the
desired impact in our schools today? Who is responsible for implementing and
strengthening the school's CPD plan?
 Old mind set of the teacher.
 Lack of research based on reliable data.
 Lack of commitment.
 School Leaders and Teachers.
72. Are school leaders playing the role of clinical supervisors? How can they effectively
carry out this role?
 Yes. By;-
 Preparing action plan.
 Setting pre and post conferences.
 Observing the Class.
 Giving support by identifying teacher’s skill gaps.
 Proposing the future directions.
73. Who are the main actors at the school level who can identify the professional
development needs of the teaching workforce?
 School Leaders and Expertise Teachers, Students and Local community.
74. What can a reflective school leader do to support the professional development of
teachers in their school?
 Create high level of self-awareness about the staff professional development.
 Analyze every teacher’s school contribution.
 Analyze school culture and effectiveness.
 Find ways to support peoples’ operation in the school.
 Cope up a solution for problems.
 Transform the school in to contented and productive environment.
75. Explain why staff development should be viewed as a continuous process rather than
a one-time event.
  B/s, the teaching learning activities is natural and ongoing process in this
dynamic world. So, it is only a professional teacher who can implement or
deliver this.
76. What are the major strategies used to identify the professional development needs of
teachers?
 Monitoring and evaluation of need assessment.
 Planning and facilitating.
 `Sustain Professional development.
77. How would you conduct a training needs assessment of teachers at a school?
 Collecting reliable data.
 Making action research.
 Implementing performance self -evaluation.
78. Whose responsibility is it to organize and facilitate a professional development plan
for teachers? School Leaders.
79. Who are the members of a Professional Learning Community (PLC)? What is their
role in improving student learning outcomes?
 Teachers, School Leaders, Students and community.
 Understand, facilitate and lead students performances to enhance school
standards.
 Promote communication, confidence and commitment.
80. What would be the implications if schools do not make use of ICT (Information and
Communication Technology) in their operations today?
 Reduce the dynamism of education.
 Isolate the school from the positive influence of Globalization.
 The School Lacks flexibility in the Education system.
 There is no reliable and data based innovation and research in the School
activities.
81. What are the key aspects of promoting digital leadership in a school?
 Improve students critical thinking, enhance student outcome, facilitate team
works in the school, Increase the accessibility of new knowledge, Innovation
and discovery developed in the school.
82. What is the primary aim of integrating ICT into formal education?
 To bring about and supply an innovative generation with emerging
technology.
  To strengthen performances.
83. What are the major benefits and challenges of integrating digital technologies into
learning and teaching?
 Benefits;-
 Communicate the newly emerging science and technologies.
 Make education rational and reasonable
 Initiate Video conference and training.
 Ensure quality of education.
 Challenges;-
 Lack of resources to implement.
 Combating Plagiarism.
 Miss-use mind set of the students.
 Increase unemployment b/s of AI(Artificial Inelegancy).