LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE: THE SINGAPORE SCHOOLS' EXPERIENCE

Singapore has been a model of planned change: the success of its education system witnesses the importance of planning for development. But all education systems are now facing challenges that call for innovative and flexible responses. In this highly readable collection the authors offer ecological leadership as a way of sustaining a healthy tension between central planning and innovative responses to new demands. The chapters give fascinating accounts of how school leadership can shape schools to be future-oriented. It is a must read for all those who believe there is more to schooling than regurgitating past knowledge and more to leadership than being a manager. – Professor Anne Edwards, Professor Emeritus, University of Oxford

The book shares stories of the role of school leadership in Singapore, with case studies from selected schools, that provides some insights on how Singapore delivers a high-quality education that had led to it achieving high rankings in TIMMS and PISA. This book will provide both the historical and present contexts of changes in the education system, school leadership and teacher leadership in Singapore that made it what it is today. It will distil some universal principles of educational change that school leaders and policy makers can apply in bringing about educational changes that will enhance the learning experiences of students and prepare them for future challenges.

Thiam-Seng Koh is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education lpar;NIErpar;, Singapore. Professor Koh has a wealth of experience from a teacher-trainer and researcher to a school leader and an administrator. He had held senior appointments at the Ministry of Education that included as a Deputy Director involved in policy formulation for university, polytechnic and ITE education and as Director of Educational Technology where he led the implementation of Singapore's 2nd lnfocomm Technology lpar;ICTrpar; in Education Masterplan. As Principal of St. Joseph's Institution, he led the development of the 6-year Integrated Programme leading to the International Baccalaureate Diploma. He initiated various curricular innovations that included special programmes such as ArtScience and Business Design Thinking and student-development initiatives like self-regulated learning to betterprepare the students for the future. Before returning to NIE in 2018, his last appointment was the Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph's Institution International School. Recognised internationally for hisexpertise in the use of ICT for learning, he has served as a consultant to the Singapore Army, ST Engineering, Intel, and IDA International.

David Wei-Loong Hung is Associate Dean at the Office of Education Research lpar;OERrpar; and Head of the eduLab initiative at the NIE, Singapore. In 2004, he initiated the set-up of the Learning Sciences Laboratory to engage in school-based interventions with the view to changing pedagogy and practice. Grounded in socio-cultural and cultural-historical traditions, Prof Hung's interest lies in designing students' learning in both formal and informal contexts to maximise learner potential. Another significant part of his present work concerns the translation and dissemination of educational innovations, which the eduLab initiative seeks to advance. He is presently serving as a Contributing Editor for Educational Technology, Editor for Learning: Research and Practice, and as an International Advisory Board member for Asia Pacific Education Researcher.