A strengthened, diversified and re-imagined education workforce will deliver inclusive, quality education and learning for all. Educational leaders inspire and lead for transformative development. Education systems with high-quality pedagogical leaders who are committed to making a difference in teacher performance and student achievement is justification enough to place leadership development as a priority in educational reform priorities.

Commonwealth Education Ministers agree that high quality teaching is a priority, and that Member States should focus on how teachers and school leaders are trained, recruited and motivated and how the profession is governed. Effective and knowledgeable leaders and managers are essential throughout all areas of school management practice because they have an impact on the learning outcomes of children, young people, families and the wider community.

In Commonwealth countries as elsewhere in the world, school leaders face complex challenges due to rising expectations for schools and education systems to keep pace with technology, migration, demographic pressure and globalization, to cite a few. As countries aim to transform their educational systems to impart to young people the knowledge and skills needed in this rapidly changing world, the roles of school leaders and related expectations have changed radically. They are no longer expected merely to be good managers; effective school leadership is increasingly viewed as key to education reform, good governance and to improved educational outcomes.

The Commonwealth provides frameworks, tools and resources for a firm foundation for the profession ; they can constitute a key point of reference, including for defining the wide range of educational leadership tasks.  Frameworks can be a crucial basis to improve the relevance and effectiveness of professional training and development provided to educational leaders. They can be a starting point for the design of improved and consistent professional preparation and development. Frameworks also provide a reference to evaluate effectiveness of educational leaders. Frameworks can guide educational leaders in their learning and evaluating their progress.

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Improving Educational Leadership