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Session Submission Summary

Role of School Leaders in Improving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN): Learnings from Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and India

Wed, April 1, 2:45 to 4:00pm, Hilton, Floor: Fourth Floor - Tower 3, Union Square 24

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Education systems in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) are grappling with a profound learning crisis; a large proportion of students are failing to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills (World Bank, 2022). This crisis underscores the urgent need for effective interventions. Among the most promising, yet often underutilized, strategies is the strengthening of school leadership (Anand et al., 2023; Global School Leaders, 2024). School leaders are considered the second most important factor influencing student outcomes, after teachers (Global School Leaders, 2024; UNESCO, 2018). Investing in school leadership represents a potentially cost-effective policy solution (Anand et al., 2023; Crawfurd, 2017; Fryer, 2017). Even modest improvements in leadership quality can yield significant benefits across an entire school, making it a highly efficient intervention compared to those focused solely on individual classrooms (Anand et al., 2023; Fryer, 2017; Grissom et al., 2021). The pivotal role of school leaders is further highlighted during crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where strong leadership was crucial in mitigating learning loss and leveraging distance learning (Bush, 2023; Müller et al., 2022).

Strong school leadership fosters improved student learning through three interconnected channels. First, school leaders significantly impact student outcomes by actively shaping teaching practices, promoting teamwork among educators, and boosting teacher satisfaction (Global School Leaders, 2024). Instructional leadership, which emphasizes setting educational goals, supervising teaching initiatives, and creating conducive learning environments, is found to be considerably more influential on student outcomes than transformational leadership (Global School Leaders, 2024; Robinson et al., 2008). Second, Leaders are instrumental in maximizing the efficiency of resources, ensuring equitable allocation of teachers to classes, and promoting proper use of teaching materials (Asim et al., 2024; Grissom et al., 2021). They also motivate teachers to attend school regularly and fulfill their duties, often through simple measures like verbal praise (Asim et al., 2024). Third, effective leaders build inclusive school cultures that support strong identification and communication among teachers, students, and parents (Asim et al., 2024; Benoliel & Barth, 2017). This positive environment is a significant contributor to student outcomes (Global School Leaders, 2024). Female school leaders are particularly noted for creating nurturing pedagogical environments and showing greater concern for the well-being of the school community (Global School Leaders, 2024a).

While effective, school leadership in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) remains underutilized and under-researched, resulting in a limited evidence base on effective support mechanisms (Anand et al., 2023; Global School Leaders, 2020). Four main challenges have been identified: First, leaders are often ill-equipped for their roles due to inadequate pre- and in-service training, and a substantial portion of their time—often 50% or more—is consumed by administrative tasks, not student learning (Awodiji & Naicker, 2024). This is largely due to a lack of clear role definitions and policy expectations. Second, leaders often lack autonomy over critical areas like teacher hiring and curriculum and are rarely held accountable for student outcomes or instructional quality (Anand et al., 2023; Global School Leaders, 2020). Third, assessing the precise impact of leadership interventions is complex and resource-intensive, with some programs showing limited or even null effects on student outcomes (Anand et al., 2023; Lohmann et al., 2020). Finally, women, despite evidence of their positive impact, are significantly underrepresented in leadership roles due to factors like a lack of transparent appointment procedures, male dominance, and insufficient mentorship (Bush et al., 2022).

In this panel, we add to the broader literature about the importance of school leaders in LMICs by attempting to address some of the challenges articulated above. We will explore the role of school leaders in improving foundational literacy and numeracy through our program and research learnings in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and India. The first paper focuses on the recently publicized national standards for school leaders in Rwanda. Through a nationally representative survey, researchers have collected comprehensive data on how school leaders map to the national standards and the areas where they require additional support. The survey specifically focused on how school leaders support teaching and learning within their institutions and the factors that support and hinder these processes. The second paper brings insights from India, where a 3-year school leadership training program was rigorously evaluated to understand how school principals could work to improve student outcomes in their school as well as shift classroom and school culture. The paper also explored the added value of providing coaching to school leaders. The third paper brings insights from Sierra Leone to understand the added impact of training school leaders in structured pedagogy on top of a teacher-led intervention to improve FLN.

The three research papers will bring critical insights into the processes, mechanisms, and conditions through which school leaders can strengthen the implementation of foundational literacy and numeracy programs in their schools.

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