Key Roles of Educational Middle Leaders

Successful schools rely on outstanding teachers and leadership who work both effectively and collaboratively.Leadership is normally made of senior and middle leaders.This paper has derived from qualitative academic research, aimed at increasing an understanding on the professional performance of educational middle leaders, who can best impact the learning outcomes of students for having a direct influence on teachers and classroom teaching.The research questions included one focused on identifying the roles played by them, applied to the context of a Brazilian private school, within the timeframe of 2021.The purpose of this paper is to outline how the topic was approached in the study.Through an electronic questionnaire and individual face-to-face interviews, supported by a robust body of literature, it was possible to find evidence that effective middle leaders play mainly four broad roles: leading and managing curriculum; leading and managing the teaching and learning processes; building, leading and developing teams; and leading change and improvement initiatives.It has been concluded that middle leaders should have clarity about the roles and tasks assigned to them and be encouraged to gain expertise on how to perform them with efficacy within their contexts, which seems to be possible when they are fully supported by their school senior leadership.Finally, this support should include the provision of a well-structured permanent professional development program (in service).