Course content

School leadership education, Stavanger municipality contributes to an enriched understanding of leadership practice and organizational context, enabling students to master the leadership role in a dynamic every day. The students will gain in-depth knowledge and contribute to creating new knowledge about the school as an organization, about the leadership of teachers' learning and development work, leadership of digitalization, governance and law related to the management of the school and working environment. The program has a duration of one and a half years and carries 30 credits. School leadership training, Stavanger municipality is carried out on behalf of Stavanger municipality, and the program is offered by NTNU onsite in Stavanger.

The program has six main themes with corresponding learning objectives, which function both as an organizational framework for the diverse issues that school leaders work with on a daily basis, and which will become an important part of the program.

Main themes:

The leadership role: The student applies and develops knowledge to increase awareness of own leadership role and strengthens leadership skills to make use of opportunities and meet challenges.

Leadership of learning communities: The student applies and develops knowledge about the school as an organization and community to promote inclusion and participation and to improve quality of provision for everyone.

Leadership of learning: The student applies and develops knowledge to increase competence to manage students' and adults' continuous learning and development.

Leadership of development work: The student applies and develops knowledge about development and collaboration in order to increase competence to lead development work in the school.

Leadership of digitalization: The student applies and develops knowledge to increase competence to lead the school's digital development.

Management and law: The student applies and develops knowledge of management and administration in order to increase competence to lead the school in accordance with requirements and social tasks.

Learning outcome

School Leadership Education, Stavanger Municipality aims to develop leaders who can navigate the complexity of schools with clarity and decisiveness.

Candidates will develop knowledge about:

• Tools for analyzing their own organization and various school data
• Strategic measures that promote the school’s development and students’ learning and well-being
• Different perspectives on leadership in schools
• Learning-promoting use of digital media, technologies, and services
• The Education Act and other relevant legal frameworks

Candidates will have skills in:

• Performing analyses of various school data as a basis for improvement and change
• Leading, implementing, and evaluating strategic measures that promote the school’s development and students’ learning and well-being
• Critically evaluating school practices and educational strategies
• Strategically integrating digital technology to support students’ learning processes and improve school operations
• Ensuring that the school operates within the current legal framework

Candidates will have general competence in:

• Contributing to the development of teachers’ professional judgment and reflection based on analyses of their own organization
• Being able to handle and lead through complex and challenging situations by applying adaptive and flexible leadership styles
• Leading learning in contexts that promote the use of digital media, technologies, and services
• Leading with legal insight
• Leading co-creatively

Learning methods and activities

The study is carried out with ten sessions of 2 days, spread over three semesters. The students are divided into heterogeneous basic groups and each group is allocated a supervisor appointed by the department. Guidance is given on academic and professional development. This takes place both at seminars and through digital communication between seminars. Before and between the seminars, intermediate work is given which must be approved in order to be able to sit for the exam. Students are expected to participate actively in and between the seminars. The examination designed to evaluate both theoretical knowledge and practical understanding and is divided into a written part (50%) and an oral part (50%).

Further on evaluation

Between each seminar (10 seminars in total), the students deliver intermediate work (compulsory assignment). The intermediate work can be delivered in various formats. The assignments will vary from practical activities in your own working environment, to opportunities for you to create an active and reflective relationship with curriculum literature and other relevant texts. Later assignments can be linked to completion of the exam. The intermediate work is adjusted along the way based on the perceived needs among the students and is designed to support learning and development.

The exam for this management education is designed to evaluate both theoretical knowledge and practical understanding and is divided into a written part (50%) and an oral part (50%). The oral part comprises an individual presentation (10 min. presentation and 10 min. discussion). The written part consists of a reflective text where students will analyze the development of their own leadership role.

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Admission to the study is in collaboration with Stavanger municipality

• Completed teacher training of at least 180 credits or equivalent education

Course materials

The content of the syllabus is designed to support a comprehensive understanding of both organisational theory, leadership theory and educational psychology. The syllabus is used in the seminars and intermediate work. Through the use of various learning activities, students are supported to develop an active relationship with the reading material that lasts after their education has been completed. Students are encouraged to supplement the syllabus with other relevant subject texts.