Anna Cristina d'Addio: "Half of the education ministers leave office in less than two years."

BarcelonaAnna Cristina de Addio is the head of thematic research for UNESCO's GEM report, one of the annual studies on education monitoring One of the world's most prominent economists. An economist by training, he has also worked at the OECD on research on education, inequality, poverty, and, especially, the impact of policies. He is visiting Barcelona to present the 2024/25 GEM report. Leadership in education, From the Barcelona Center for Educational Leadership (LID).

What have they explained to you about the state of education in Catalonia?

— Well, to begin with, I'll say that what's happening is no different from what's happened in the rest of the world. Much emphasis has been placed on the technical training of school principals, but there has been no commitment to promoting a professional career. What's really lacking, not only here but in many other countries, is a focus on professionalizing the careers of school principals, in the sense that it's a position that shouldn't be reached by chance or accident.

By chance?

— Many countries consider teaching experience and being a fully qualified teacher to be the most important thing for becoming a principal, but many of them, when they leave their positions, return to their teaching positions. This means there isn't necessarily an incentive to hold this leadership position. Obviously, it's important to know what's going on in the classroom, but the key point is that principals should also have experience in administration, management, and pedagogical leadership.

If you are a good teacher, will you be a good principal?

— This is the key. Being a good teacher isn't enough to be a good principal. That's why a more open and competitive selection process is needed, not just based on seniority or politics. These professionals must also be identified and supported before they decide to become school principals. There must be a theoretical component, but above all, a practical and mentoring component.

Is there any country that can serve as a reference?

— There are several, but one might be Singapore. There, teachers are recruited and selected for principals, who are accompanied from the outset by an experienced principal who advises them on day-to-day tasks. Another example is the United States, where principals and superintendents select the best teachers and identify those with the greatest potential to become principals, and they enter the principal recruitment pipeline.

Should a principal be able to choose the teachers on his or her staff?

— The report's first recommendation is trust and empowerment. I think this answers your question in the sense that we need principals who have the opportunity to make decisions. Because what we see in the literature is that when they are given the opportunity to choose, the school has better results. Autonomy is important, but it's not enough. There must also be accountability. A principal must be autonomous in deciding to hire or fire a teacher based on the context, but they must also be responsible for managing resources. It's not about control or authority. A school leader is not a superhero. They're just someone who works with other people.

Is giving financial incentives to principals based on their school's performance a good strategy?

— It's true that there are countries that have this evaluation based on pay for performance. I think it's a difficult decision. It's important for principals, of course, but it shouldn't be a criterion for deciding whether a person goes to one school or another. That is, if there are differences between schools, we may find that all talented professionals want to go to schools that use this mechanism. The important thing is to have a good selection process and that principal evaluations are aimed at improving, not punishing.

Beyond principals, the study mentions educational leaders at a higher level.

— Outside of schools, above the education system, but before reaching the political level, are civil servants, who work in the Ministries of Education and their agencies at the central and local levels. They are very important because they are the link between schools and the political level and they enable policies to align with what happens in the classroom. That's why in the study we called for investment in these professionals because, according to the data we collected, half of the Ministers of Education leave office in less than two years. Very often we say that something hasn't worked because a minister has implemented a certain policy, but often the terms are so short that sustainable reforms cannot be implemented.

During your stay in Barcelona, you also discussed the lack of women leading schools around the world. What is the consequence of this inequality?

— The consequence of having fewer women in leadership positions is, first and foremost, from an economic perspective, a huge waste of talent. So far, we've seen that one of the most important factors for a country to be a leader in education is its teachers, and we know that there are more women than men in this sector. Therefore, we have a wasted talent pool. Furthermore, it has been found that in certain schools where the principal is a woman, girls achieve better results. This trend isn't seen everywhere, but it has been observed, particularly in low-income contexts where inequality may be greater.