The Association for Values in Education (AVE), with the support of BRIO and the support of the Community for Excellence in School Management (CEMS), presents to the public the “Competency Profile of Romanian School Principals”. The aim of this document is to support the targeted and coherent development of principals, in line with the current needs of the Romanian education system.
At the same time, the proposal supports the education system. The organizing of contests to fill the positions of principal and vice-principal in pre-university educational establishments will be based on professional standards that form the professional profile of the school manager, approved by order of the Minister of Education. There are currently over 10,000 principals and deputy principals in Romania.
This tool defines a clear and measurable set of skills essential for the effective management of a pre-university education unit. It provides a useful framework for principals to understand their own leadership profile, plan their professional development and evaluate their progress in a structured way.
“AVE brings solid expertise to the principal recruitment process and was actively involved in the 2016 and 2021 selections. For the next selection, it is essential that the process is based on a validated standard adapted to the realities in schools. We believe that the role of school principal has a distinct role, it is not an extension of the job of teacher. It requires leadership, management and strategic vision. All these competences need to be rigorously assessed and supported through in-service training. The competency profile developed has already been used in our programs for educational leaders and has been refined based on feedback from school principals who are graduates of the School Leadership and Management Academy. In this context, we consider it to be the most appropriate and relevant tool that can be integrated into the legislative framework as a benchmark for the selection of school principals”, explained Simona Pavelescu, Executive Director of the Association for Values in Education.
The profiling process was conducted between 2021-2022 by AVE and BRIO teams, under the methodological coordination of Prof. Univ. Dr. Dragoș Iliescu, being based on international research and models validated in countries such as UK, Canada, Australia or Finland. The competency profile was validated within the School Leadership and Management Academy, edition 2022-2023, by 112 principals.
In the framework of the above-mentioned collaboration, AVE has grounded its advocacy work that led to the introduction in the competitive sessions for the post of principal (2016 and 2021) of cognitive skills tests, an essential component in the selection process that aims at the analytical capacity, decision-making speed and operational intelligence required for a leadership role.
In the summer of 2024, AVE supported the process of forming the Community for Excellence in School Management (CEMS) association. At that time, principals from 32 counties decided to join together in a new, representative organization to better prepare for the role of principal. In this context, they have been working together with AVE over the past months to update the professional profile and standards for the selection and evaluation of school principals in Romania, in line with the provisions of art. 194 (1) of the new Law on Pre-University Education No. 198/2023.
The profile is based on 8 dimensions that describe in detail the main requirements and practices in the work of school principals, organized in 3 broad content categories (human resources, strategic thinking and operational leadership, and opportunities and change).
- School leadership and decision-making
- Providing support and cooperation within and outside the school
- Interacting with others and presenting information
- Analyzing and interpreting information
- Strategic research and conceptualization
- Organization and execution of tasks
- Adapting to change and managing pressures
- Demonstrating entrepreneurship at school level
Based on the competency profile, AVE Romania and BRIO have also developed an assessment test dedicated to school principals: SLA360. This is a 360° self-assessment and feedback tool, through which principals understand and choose the competences they need to strengthen. The assessment includes feedback from people at different hierarchical levels: fellow principals (same level), teachers (subordinate level) and school inspectors (higher level). The result is a well-shaped leadership profile, highlighting both strengths and areas for development. The tool is currently being used in the Romanian School Transformation Program developed by AVE, and so far 106 principals have already been assessed using SLA360.
The proposed competency profile is intended to meet the provisions of Article 194 of the Law on Pre-University Education, according to which “(1) The recruitment, hiring, training and evaluation of persons who manage pre-university education establishments shall be carried out on the basis of professional standards that form the professional profile of the school manager, approved by order of the Minister of Education.” This latter aim is also aligned with the interests and mission of the newly established Community for Excellence in School Management (CEMS), the only professional association of school principals with national coverage.