The Impact of Educational Leadership on School Change and Innovation

Admire Chafa & Faith Ncube
Department of Educational Policy Studies and Leadership
Faculty of Education
Midlands State University, Zimbabwe
Email: chafaa@staff.msu.ac.zw/ ncubefai@staff.msu.ac.zw

Abstract: The study was carried out in Insiza South District which included the schools in Zone A Cluster. The study sought to establish how educational leadership impacts school change and innovation. The motivation of the study therefore was to investigate the role of the school leadership in promoting innovation and changes in Insiza South District, given the hopeful developments in the education sector. More so, the conditions in Insiza South District are different from urban areas and that means the role of urban and rural school leaders are equally different. With that said, the rationale of the study through the use of qualitative research approach was to comprehend the role of rural educational leaders in their implementation of school changes and innovations with the case study being used in Insiza South District. The researcher used interviews as a method of gathering data. Teachers and school administrators participated in this study through face-to-face interviews. The study revealed that the role of educational leaders in Insiza South District boarders around: the application of effectictive leadership styles, promotion of positive school culture, collaboration, shared decision making and ensuring quality education so as to promote school change and innovation.