A school principal as a change leader in education

Successful school management, whose "comprehensive content" includes both administrative and pedagogical aspects, is a decisive factor for the implementation of change in teaching and learning, promotion of pupils' learning achievements and the improvement of the quality of education in general. However, the role of school principal as a change leader gets increasingly emphasized as opposed to traditional principal's role of administrator or manager. This study focuses on the personal experience of school principals and interpretation of their experience, reflecting the principals' understanding of the role, nature and essence of leadership as an aspect of school management. This is a phenomenological research study. Research sample: the principals of general education schools (N=9). The aim of the study is to explore principals' understanding of what it means to be a change leader in a school, what leadership functions are prioritized, and how school principals balance their leadership functions with those of administration and management. The data have been gathered using semi-structured interviews. The results of the study indicate that the implementation of school principal’s role as a change leader is facilitated by: 1) awareness of one's personal qualities; 2) delegation of responsibilities; 3) strengthening of the school culture and its values; 4) implementation of a personalized approach highlighting the individual abilities of each teacher in the organization; 5) strengthening of the school as a “learning organization”.