Leadership and education

Leadership is at the heart of quality education. There is a growing belief that educational leadership is the second most important factor explaining learning outcomes. Leaders at multiple levels matter, from those within the school, to those outside of the school such as middle managers, and including those outside of education systems in government, or those working on legislature and oversight. 

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 and through what practices the exercise of leadership contributes to better education outcomes. 

External factors including social, cultural, governance conditions will be looked at to see how they impact on effective leadership, as well as the policy levers that can be used to develop leadership skills in different contexts.  

A set of questions will be formulated alongside the report to guide the collection of information and laws and policies related to the selection, preparation and development of school leaders that will be featured in PEER country profiles and will inform the report.