Introduction
The success of each organization relies heavily on the quality of its leadership. Leaders that excel in their jobs create supportive environments, inspire their teams to greater achievement, make their missions and goals crystal clear, and drive their companies toward greater success (Anderson, 2017). A wealth of recent research demonstrates the significance of leadership and scarcity in various public organizations. The term “transformational leadership” refers to a leadership theory in which a leader helps teams or followers think beyond their immediate needs to identify the necessary transformation and then creates a vision to guide that change through inspiration, influence, and the joint execution of dedicated members of an organization (Anderson, 2017). Both the public and commercial sectors place a premium on the ability to identify and retain capable leaders. Leadership is widely recognized and celebrated in for-profit enterprises. Public officials often use platitudes from the business world, such as “Lead, follow or get out of the way!” by Lee Iacocca (Ingraham and Getha-Taylor, 2004). However, leading firms in the public sector differ from leading businesses in the private sector. One of the most notable is the split between appointed and elected officials and senior executives from the career bureaucracy that has emerged at the top of several public institutions. While this trend is most pronounced at the federal level, it also appears at the state and municipal levels to a significant degree (Anderson, 2017). Public sector executives operate in a highly constricted context due to divided democratic accountability, leadership, oversight mechanisms established by legislatures and courts, and constant media scrutiny. In this essay, I argue that transformational leadership is the most important leadership model in the public sector. To effectively support this argument, I consider the case of the education sector. The essay is structured as follows: First, I will analyze the key strategic priorities in the education sector and the critical issues schools face. In the following parts, I will critically analyze why transformational leadership is most appropriate in education.
The Key Strategic Priorities in The Education Sector
`Educational institutions worldwide have set specific missions, visions, values, and goals to spearhead the learning process and improve the learners’ general performance. The various key strategic priorities in the educational systems are analyzed below.
Quality of Education
Quality of education refers to the overall skill development and learning levels of the learners in the institution (Choi et al., 2022). It incorporates a wide range of elements, including instructional strategy, teacher caliber, pedagogical approach, assessment procedures, and educational materials, that all play a role in fostering successful education. For the learning process in an institution to be classified as quality, it must have key elements such as effective curriculum design. A well-thought-out curriculum specifies what is to be learned by learners and shows them how to get there. A high-quality curriculum has a solid theoretical foundation, will align with international and national benchmarks, and will undergo frequent reviews to ensure it is current and effective (Choi et al., 2022). Teachers get extensive preparation in using a wide range of active learning strategies. Traditional techniques like lectures and class discussions are supplemented with more modern approaches like group work, project-based learning, and problem-solving. For instance, the learning process in our school is based on a well thought curriculum that guarantees high quality of the learning process. We have professors, instructors, and moderators who are highly trained to ensure learners understand the concepts.
Equity in Education
We achieve educational equity when all students have access to the materials they need to learn to read, write, and do basic math. Instead of focusing on the money spent on education, this metric looks at the results. When it comes to education, equity ensures that every kid has access to the resources they need to succeed. Because of the current economic and public health crises, it is considerably more difficult to achieve educational parity. Many communities decided to cancel school. This exacerbated racial gaps since many low-income families lack the means to participate in distance education due to a lack of access to WiFi or computers. According to research conducted by McKinsey, this causes kids of color to fall three to five months behind their white counterparts in mathematics. Economic development is impeded by education inequality just as much as by recessions. They cannot achieve their best if they do not have the tools they need to learn. Educating all children on equal ground means prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable students. The long-term health of communities and economies may be boosted by investing in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and supportive family settings for low-income children. However, states must make tough decisions about how much money to dedicate to delivering various education components and other critical public services. Educational inequality creates an accomplishment gap between different racial groups in the United States. According to the research group Brookings, Latin, and Black students scored far worse on average on standardized examinations than White pupils.
Accessibility
“Access to education” refers to an opportunity to enroll in and complete a formal education program at a college or university (Home, 2022). There are still many people in the globe who do not have easy access to a quality education because of factors like poverty, location (especially in rural regions), or membership in a minority group. Financial restrictions are a significant obstacle to obtaining an education. Low-income households need help to afford the costs of sending their children to school. Governments and educational institutions should make financial aid through grants, scholarships, or loans available to enable people who cannot afford college. Geographical barriers are also a factor in students’ inability to attend college. Students in outlying or rural locations may need easy access to legal education options. Online courses, Distance learning programs, and mobile learning platforms are all ways educational institutions adapt to meet the needs of students who need help participating in conventional classroom settings. Those learners who do not speak the language of teaching need help to grasp the concepts being taught. Language services and access to resources in learners’ first languages are responsibilities of all educational systems.
The Critical Issues Faced By Schools
On a global scale, educational facilities face huge issues that must be tackled to enhance equity among all learners, education equality, and accessibility among learners in marginalized regions. The most critical issues in the education sector include government funding and budgeting, teacher recruitment and retention, and narrowing the attainment gap.
Funding and Budgeting
Those in positions of authority are well aware of the constraints placed on schools by limited resources (Kulkarni and Chima, 2021). State schools are projected to be under further strain due to budget deficits and growing expenditures. Others note that it is not only the institutions of education that need help economically. The cost-of-living issue will have widespread repercussions, affecting individuals, businesses, and governments. It is also important to remember that we posed the issue before the recent increase in energy costs and before the government promised pay increases for teaching staff required to be obtained from current school budgets. Under the current government plans for school financing, 91% of schools would be negatively affected. Since 2015, budgets have been reduced by £2.8bn, and school leaders often lament the difficulty of maintaining quality teaching while adhering to tight budgets (Kulkarni and Chima, 2021). Reduced funding means fewer teachers, fewer extracurriculars, and higher class sizes. With fewer resources available, academic institutions must prioritize efficiency.
Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Managing staffing issues such as scarcity, high turnover, and the inability to fill vacancies was a common subject. Some further expressed concern that if another wave of COVID-19 hits schools this winter, it might lead to staff shortages (Duraku and Hoxha, 2021). In contrast, others voiced concern about the possible effect of industrial action if teachers’ unions choose to strike. It is especially difficult for schools outside large cities to attract and retain qualified educators. At least 30% of first-time educators quit the field during the first five years, rising to 40% after 10 (Duraku and Hoxha, 2021). Finding qualified educators in STEM fields is extremely challenging for schools in remote areas. Teaching is difficult even for those who are dedicated to the profession. The typical workweek lasts between fifty-five and sixty hours, and much paperwork is involved, especially in the public sector. Consequently, many educators need more vitality in their classroom teaching because they are exhausted by stress and pressure.
Narrowing the Attainment Gap
Due to the lack of equity and equality in the education sector, there is an increased narrowing of the attainment gap (Duraku and Hoxha, 2021). Although the achievement gap between students from privileged and underprivileged homes has shrunk marginally by approximately 4% over the previous decade, it is still rather large (Willis, 2022). Those from low-income homes are less likely to attend college than those from affluent. Pupil Premium is a government effort to solve this issue, with a budget of £2.4 billion. There is much pressure on schools to ensure that the additional £935 spent on “Free School Meals” each year translates into improved academic performance. English and mathematics are the disciplines most prized by employers and universities. Therefore students who pass these courses are more competitive. Based on a recent BBC research, despite the best efforts of schools, just 24% of students from the most impoverished neighborhoods received strong grades in English or Mathematics last year, in contrast to 50% of students from the wealthiest backgrounds.
Learning about these issues as a transformational leader is key to my personal development. The issues faced by the education sector will help me to have a bigger picture of the issues impacting the public sector and requires leadership solutions. Based on this knowledge, I will develop the necessary skills to develop effective policies and regulations, steer organizational change management, and develop collaborative strategies and implementation goals to solve those issues.
Why Transformational Leadership Is The Most Appropriate In Education Sector?
Different from transactional leadership, which emphasizes the need for extrinsic incentives to complete particular job duties, transformational leadership encourages workers to go above and beyond what is expected of them to achieve a common goal. Leaders may maximize their effectiveness by learning to balance these approaches. Transformational leadership is the best option for enhancing the development of the education sector.
Leadership at educational institutions encourages people they lead to explore ideas creatively and critically in order to broaden their perspectives and improve their ability to solve problems (Leithwood, 1993). The trademarks of transformational leadership in educational settings include always pushing those they lead to accomplishing more and allowing them to attempt new things. This explains how organizations may avoid becoming stale. The cornerstone of transformational leadership in education is a shared vision and mission between the leader and the group being led. Transformative school leadership is among the most effective approaches to school administration (Leithwood, 1993). It includes many traits of good leadership in teaching, which have a multiplicative influence on the success of both people and organizations. School cultures of loyalty, and leading by example, mutual respect may be fostered through transformational leadership at all levels of education, not only at the secondary and postsecondary levels. A transformational leader must have the following qualities to be effective and achieve the preset goals.
- Excellent communication skills
- Charismatic and visionary
- Promotes teamwork
- Continuous and curious innovative skills
- Inspiring team to work with passion
- Allows collaboration and feedback
- Out of box thinking skills
- Problem-solving skills.
Transformational leadership greatly promotes cultural diversity and inclusivity in the educational system (Lunenburg, 2003). Let us take an example of our schools; many students come from different backgrounds in terms of culture, religion, ethnicity, race, and gender and have varying beliefs and values. All these learners expect equal opportunities in terms of quality and equity of education. Effective inclusive education is facilitated by transformative leadership. People of varying aptitudes and cultural backgrounds are represented in the model. When pupils have varying skill levels, relying on strategies like the autocratic style might be risky. The use of force in the classroom might backfire. People who learn slowly may give up in a competitive workplace that expects top performance from everyone (Lunenburg, 2003). Students are better able to play to their strengths under transformational leadership.
The leaders want the pupils to concentrate more on their strengths than their peers. Not all students will appreciate an authoritarian leadership style, especially those from more democratic backgrounds. There are commonalities among successful leaders. Examples include using words to persuade others to follow them and spreading messages of optimism and confidence (Prestiadi, Gunawan, and Sumarsono, 2020). All of these characteristics are met by transformational leadership. It helps educators connect with their pupils on a deeper level. This paves the way for leaders to craft effective methods of inspiration. Teachers can show appreciation for their students’ diverse backgrounds by adapting lessons to pupils of different faiths and cultural backgrounds. Ultimately, the leader’s communication ability motivates the kids to value variety. The approach makes education more accessible and encourages students of all backgrounds to participate.
With the extensive transformation in the education sector regarding the new technological change, transformational leadership is key in promoting change in the education sector. Teachers in inclusive classrooms find ways to keep their kids’ spirits up in the face of constant shifts. The method depends on the transformational leader’s charisma to win followers over. Leaders employ qualities like charisma to rally their people behind a common cause and keep them working toward it even when external conditions change (Prestiadi, Gunawan, and Sumarsono, 2020). Other methods will not work in today’s ever-evolving classrooms. They may show teachers exerting less authority over pupils’ actions and attitudes. As a result, this strategy may contribute to the long-term viability of inclusive classrooms. Despite the difficulties brought on by change, this strategy will enable inclusive institutions to sustain consistent performance.
Transformational leadership helps in boosting the performance of teachers and the school in general (Kirby, Paradise, and King, 1992). Maintaining a high level of employee performance generally gets increasingly difficult as market standards evolve and rise. Researchers have focused a lot on the link between employee performance and organizational results (Kirby, Paradise, and King, 1992). Organizational success in the current market environment depends on workers doing their jobs effectively. Because staff performance is crucial to an organization’s success, Armstrong (2010) argues that fostering it is a leader’s top priority. In light of teachers’ pivotal role in shaping the next generation’s minds and preparing them to contribute to the nation and society, employee performance is especially vital in the educational sector. As a result, the education system’s effectiveness relies heavily on its instructors’ work. My mindset as a transformational leadership model is to motivate my team members to perform at greater levels to achieve our shared objectives and make a good impact (Prestiadi, Gunawan, and Sumarsono, 2020). Principals that use a transformational leadership style are revered by their staff because they instill confidence in their employees and serve as role models.
The public sector is experiencing acute globalization, and the education sector is not excluded (Schoch et al.2021)—transformational leadership helped transform the school’s culture to accommodate the vast number of students. In order to accommodate the needs of various constituencies, school administrators have to alter the prevailing culture at their institutions. In the eyes of proponents of transformational leadership theory, a leader’s primary role is to motivate their team to improve their performance and create positive change by pushing them to new heights. According to the research, employees who believe in their leaders are likelier to put in the extra effort. Similarly, transformational leadership inspires teachers to expand their horizons through professional development opportunities, leading to outstanding results in the classroom.
There are four key tenets of transformational leadership. The first is personalized consideration, meaning leaders pay attention to their subordinates’ specific problems and goals and serve as a coach, mentor, or guide to help them overcome obstacles (Barnett, McCormick. and Conners, 2001). In the same vein, intellectual stimulation outlines actions that force leaders to question long-held beliefs, try new things, and ask for input from subordinates. Leaders encourage followers to test out novel approaches and go outside the box while dealing with organizational issues. Moreover, these leaders are characterized by inspiring motivation, the degree to which they communicate an exciting vision to inspire and encourage followers while providing them the trust they need to succeed beyond expectations (Barnett, McCormick. and Conners, 2001).
Regarding the idealized impact, these leaders’ moral and ethical standards serve as examples for their followers. Transform leaders have exceptional oratory abilities and win respect and loyalty of their followers. As a result, there is a robust correlation between transformative leadership and workforce performance. Principals prioritizing creating a culture of shared vision’ for their schools’ progress will benefit greatly from their transformational leadership qualities. Principals must cultivate transformational leadership abilities since this management style fosters an atmosphere conducive to creative problem-solving and creates a “shared vision” among workers.
Conclusion
The aim of the paper was to critically analyze that transformational leadership is the most appropriate in the education sector. The analysis shows that the key strategic priorities in the educational sector include enhancing the quality of education, enhancing accessibility of education for every learner irrespective of their social and economic backgrounds, and enhancing equity of education for all learners. However, the sector faces huge challenges that require transformative leadership to be solved. Based on our focus on the U.K. education sector, key challenges include funding and budgeting, teacher recruitment and retention, and narrowing the attainment gap. Transformational leadership refers to a leadership theory in which a leader helps teams or followers think beyond their immediate needs to identify the necessary transformation and then creates a vision to guide that change through inspiration, influence and the joint execution of dedicated members of an organization. Transformational leadership possesses key visionary, inspiring, problem-solving, and continuous and innovative skills. These qualities of transformational leaders are key in promoting cultural diversity and inclusivity in schools. Transformational leaders help the educational sector to adapt to the ever-changing technology and education environment to conform to the changes. Transformational leadership also helps in improving the performance of teachers and the school in general. These leaders are characterized by inspiring motivation, the degree to which they communicate an exciting vision to inspire and encourage followers while providing them the trust they need to succeed beyond expectations. From this analysis, I can develop the key strategic values and qualities of successful transformative leadership to help me be a successful leader in the future.
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