Share your perspective and take part in the online consultation for the 2024/5 GEM Report on leadership and education 

Leadership is at the heart of quality education. It has been argued that it is the second most important school factor explaining learning outcomes. Leaders at multiple levels matter, from those within the school, to those outside of the school, and even those outside of education systems.

The concept note for the 2024/5 GEM Report, developed based on a think-piece by David Gurr, details how the theme will be explored. 

The 2024/5 GEM Report will examine the requirements of good leadership in education and how they vary between countries and over time. It will look at the visions and goals that are driving leadership in education and will examine the extent to which – and through what practices – the exercise of leadership contributes to better education outcomes.

External factors, related to society, culture and governance, will be looked at with respect to their impact on effective leadership. Policy levers to develop leadership skills in different contexts will be reviewed.

The report will cover education leaders at three levels:

  • Within education institutions
  • Outside education institutions, at system level
  • Outside the education system

The 2024/5 GEM Report will aim to address the following questions:

  • Role: What are the requirements of good leadership in education and how do they vary between countries and over time?
  • Influence: What vision and goals drive leadership in education and what are the signs of exercising positive influence?
  • Impact: To what extent and through what practices does the exercise of leadership contribute to better education outcomes?
  • Context: What social, cultural, governance or other preconditions are needed for the effective exercise of leadership in education?
  • Nurture: What policy levers can be used to help develop leadership skills and how do such policies emerge around the world to respond to need?

The concept note presents the early thinking of the team in the preparation of the 2024/5 Report, but the GEM team needs the expertise of UKFIET members to identify the latest academic research, case study analysis and real life examples of what works and why to ensure that the Report is shifting the needle in this critical and often overlooked debate.

The GEM Report is inviting UKFIET members to:

  • provide substantive feedback to the proposed lines of research;
  • recommend examples from around the world that illustrate good leadership and solutions to challenges found in various education systems; and
  • recommend potential areas of new research drawing on various sources of data.

Join the Report’s online consultation using the comments section on the webpage which can be cited in the final report or by emailing the GEM Report team to provide feedback on this concept note, suggest relevant evidence for the theme or new areas of research to be explored.