Editorial: The Changing Nature of Educational Leadership Caribbean and International Perspectives

This special edition of the Journal of the University College of the Cayman
Islands on the subject of educational leadership and its changing nature is timely.
Faced with external factors such as the recent economic meltdown, globalisation and
changing borderland narratives and shifts in government policy, education institutions
the world over are being forced to “do education differently.” This shift is as much
about the leadership of policymakers in education departments and ministries as it
is about the practice of leadership by school leaders and teachers at all levels. Much
less is being spent on education in real terms by many governments, when more is
being demanded; fewer teachers are being employed at a time when some systems
are experiencing growth in pupil numbers and class sizes; and education institutions
are struggling to respond in a timely manner to changes in their environment brought
about by the impact of information and communications technology. That said,
educational leadership in these unpredictable and swiftly changing times requires
an approach that is neither top-down nor bottom-up, but that is encompassing,
synergistic, innovative, and practical.