Strategic leadership and school reform in Taiwan

Abstract

This article examines school leadership in the context of Taiwanese educational reform since the mid-1990s. The goal of the inquiry is twofold: to explore the conflicts that school administrators have confronted in facilitating school reform and to analyze the strategic and innovative leadership practices that have facilitated improvements in school effectiveness in Taiwan. A case study of a secondary school is used to illustrate how leadership efforts can move schools forward to achieve a balanced transformation. The research lasted 3 years. The school principal and 15 other participants were interviewed. This case study revealed 4 themes of strategic leadership in coping with the conflicts accompanying school reform in Taiwan: (1) educational values, (2) timeframe for change, (3) capacity building, and (4) community involvement. Three of the school's program initiatives are described and analyzed in detail in order to illustrate the dynamic relation between strategic leadership practices and the goal of school transformation.