Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD student in Educational Management, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Allameh, Iran.
2
Professor, Department of Educational Management and Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Allameh, Iran.
3
Associate Professor, Department of Educational Management and Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Allameh, Iran.
Abstract
This study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of the processes for selecting and appointing primary school principals in Iran, Finland, Germany, and the United States. Employing a qualitative–comparative design based on Bereday’s four-step model (description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and comparison), data were collected through document analysis, including national regulations, official policy documents, international reports (OECD, UNESCO), and peer-reviewed research. The findings indicate that all four countries possess formal legal or professional frameworks for principal selection, and prior teaching or leadership experience is a common prerequisite. However, three major differences emerged: (1) the degree of governance centralization (highly centralized in Iran, federal in Germany, and semi-centralized with national standards in Finland and the U.S.); (2) tools and pre-appointment training (mandatory 25 ECTS certificate in Finland and the PSEL-based principal pipelines in the U.S. versus the absence of compulsory certification in Iran); and (3) stakeholder involvement (limited participation in Iran compared with school councils in Germany and local education boards in the U.S.). Overall, the study concludes that improving the quality of educational leadership depends on integrating three core components: a national competency framework, structured pre-appointment certification, and multi-source evaluation with stakeholder participation. Accordingly, it is recommended that Iran reform its current process by developing a national competency framework for principals, introducing a mandatory pre-appointment certificate equivalent to 25 ECTS, institutionalizing multi-stage evaluations, and strengthening stakeholder engagement, thereby shifting from a bureaucratic to a professional merit-based approach.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)