The Flemish Education Council A Counselor and Partner in Flemish Education

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The Flemish Education CouncilA Counselor and
Partnerin Flemish Education

• Improved policy making through consultation

Mia Douterlungnegeneral administrator
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Mission statement

• The Flemish Education Council is the strategic
  advisory body for the policy domain of Education
  and Training. All groups in society that are
  involved, have representatives in the Vlor.
  Together they debate in order to further improve
  the quality, reasonableness and fairness of
  education and training in Flanders.

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Structure
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Composition
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Activities and Services

• Advice
• Advice on request
• Advice on own initiative
• Consultation
• Educational and social partners
• Commissions and working groups
• Implementation of new initiatives
• Study
• Inquiries
• Organisation of seminars

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School leadership in Vlor

• School leadership in primary education
• Advice on own initiative (2004)
• Follow up of previous work (1995-1996)
• Inquiry on capacity building (2004-2005)
• Chapter on school leadership

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School leadership in primary education

• Evolution towards professional learning
  communities
• New profile for school leader
• Integral leadership
• Management in all its aspects vision
  development, strategic policy, quality
  management, human resources, internal and
  external communication,

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• Coach of professional learning community
• Monitor and mentor professional development of
  staff
• Acknowledge strenghts, stimulate cooperation and
  consultation, support innovation, stimulate
  reflection and self-evaluation,
• Participative leadership must
• Professional development crucial

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• Advice
• Scope for policymaking
• Diminish restrictive legislation
• Give sufficient time to implement innovations
• Provide teachers with time for consultation and
  cooperation
• Provide a budget for middle-management and
  administrative support
• Attractiveness of school leadership
• Better terms of employment
• Provide more budget and better structures for
  professional development
• Professionalisation of school boards

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Role of the school leader in capacity building

• Stress on participative leadership
• School leader as architect of the team
• Formulate, communicate and translate a clear
  pedagogical vision
• Innovation projects are important
• Facilitator of individual and collective learning
• Vision closely related to transformational
  leadership

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Future prospects

• Capacity building remains a central issue in all
  discussions on educational developments
• Tune professional development of school leaders
  to evolutions of competency-based education