How do school leaders respond to the growing intrusiveness of accountability policies? Evidence from Italy

ABSTRACT

The role of school principals is an evolving one, calling them to become agents of change, focusing on educational leadership as they take the schools forward. All this is happening in a context that is becoming more challenging and stressful as school leaders try to juggle the state-mandated accountability devices. In relation to the Italian context, this paper analyses the growing penetration of accountability systems in school management and the implications for leadership practices. The results of a research project conducted with school leaders show that accountability systems can provide an opportunity for school improvement if school leaders defuse their potential bureaucracy, consistently integrating them into their practices of leadership, respecting the organisational idea of the school as professional learning community. An authentic educational leadership is a fundamental condition for governing the risks and contradictions that accountability systems bring with them in the complex reality of schools.

KEYWORDS:

• Principal leadership
• school accountability
• Italian education system
• schools as professional learning communities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Angelo Paletta is an Associate Professor of Public Management, Deputy Rector to “Finance, Strategic Planning & Process innovation” at the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna.