• What you think leadership in education is

• Organisations and leadership (policy, system and governance)

• How you see your own professional identity, expertise and agency in the above

• What steps you need/want to take for your professional development from the point of view of leadership in education

Regards

Helvi

• Schools don’t determine the mission of education. That right belongs to the government, which sets the nation’s direction through policy and funding. Yet, policy and funding alone are not enough—people and organizations must carry them out.

• Schools are not the only places where learning occurs. Formal learning happens in schools, but informal learning can happen anywhere: Scouts, Red Cross, Running Academy, and many others.

This leads to the idea of governance. Governance extends beyond government bodies (Parliament, EDUFI, municipalities, public schools) to include private ECE centers, independent schools, trade unions, NGOs, and even individual citizens. In short: transforming education is everybody’s responsibility. Everyone has a voice.

Because so many actors are involved, collaboration is essential. Mika described this as moving from a functioning organization (organization scope, same kinds of people) to a process organization (client scope, different kinds of people). The mindset shifts from “I am from this organization, you are from that organization” to “We are one community working together to solve education problems.”

I see this echoed in what Eija is doing with the Educational Leadership Network Europe (ELNE): bringing organizations and people together to share perspectives and find best practices for education across Europe. Collaboration helps us see through different lenses.

For us, students of KLAS1519, the lesson is clear: we must recognize that education involves multiple actors. Seeing the big picture helps us locate ourselves within it. As Mika put it: “We can’t save the world alone.” But we can discover our dreams, find where we belong in the system, and make an impact based on what we know and can do.

Finally, the field of educational leadership matters because it helps us identify why education succeeds or fails. Research provides evidence to guide us—since education and leadership are not easily quantified—so we can direct resources toward actions that truly lead to success.