Leadership of vocational high school principals in curriculum reform: A case study in Taiwan

This research attempts to comprehend the traits and behaviors of vocational high school principals in implementing curriculum reform. In-depth interviews with experienced principals of three vocational high schools sought to identify the leadership roles and tasks that led to successful curriculum reform for vocational high school programs. Key interview findings are that curriculum leadership roles of vocational high school principals can be classified into advocate, navigator, coordinator, consolidator, mentor, caretaker, monitor, and feedback provider. The curriculum leadership tasks for principals can be categorized into shaping school vision, constructing organizational operation, providing and integrating resources, facilitating coordination and communication, leading curriculum design, cultivating curriculum specialization among staff, building organizational culture, solving implementation problems, conducting supervision, and promoting curriculum evaluation. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.