According to the current situation, the most controversial issues emerging in developing countries are the excellence and quality of the national education. Several escalating challenges, especially those related to the secondary school administration, are inevitably responsible for poor administrative and academic performance. In addressing those challenges, school administrators are expected to take full accountability for the implementation of educational policies into practice efficiently. The key objective of the study is to explore the prospective challenges principals are encountering in low-performing public secondary schools. To fulfil the research purpose, a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed. A sample of 122 secondary school principals in Faisalabad District was selected by taking advantage of purposive sampling technique. As a result, a total of 24 challenges were collectively validated through questionnaire survey. Frequency analysis approach was initially applied to figure out the most critical challenges. Accordingly, 7 challenges were found statistically significant with a frequency ≥50% for each factor. Additionally, school-type-based (rural vs. urban) analysis was performed by applying Chi-Square test. Furthermore, a taxonomy was developed to classify the identified challenges into nine basic knowledge-areas of school administration. The results revealed ‘Governance and Relationships” is the most significant knowledge-area attribute for school improvement.

The aim of current study is to inspect the potential impact of ethical leadership practices (EL) of intermediate level administration (i.e., faculty deans, department heads) on lecturer job satisfaction (LJS) at a private higher education (HE) institution (UX) in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. A conceptual framework linking EL and LJS was developed based on the ethical leadership conceptualizations of Brown et al. (2005), Kalshoven et al. (2011), and Langlois et al. (2014). Accordingly, ethical leadership works as a multidimensional construct encompassing a set of five values or explicit behaviors, i.e., care, critique, integrity, fairness, and ethical guidance. Further, the constructs and the effects of EL on LJS is conceptually approached in light of Social Exchange Theory and Social Learning Theory. Primary quantitative data was collected through an anonymously self-administered survey of all 378 lecturers permanently employed at eight faculties at UX’s main campus by the non-probability purposive sampling method. The totality of 256 valid questionnaires yielded a response rate of 68% for stepwise data analysis with inferential statistical methods (i.e., internal reliability test, factor scores, correlation, and multiple regression). The regression findings reveal that all five dimensions of EL significantly positively explained the variance in job satisfaction as perceived by UX lecturers (p < .001). These findings suggest both theoretical and practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed. The present study expands our understanding on ethical leadership by verifying its effects on lecturers’ levels of job satisfaction in HE. This study concludes that well-established ethical leadership codes for HE administration may assist them in making key decisions with care, fairness, critique, integrity, and ethical guidance.

What determines the success and effectiveness of leadership in schools? In the process of managing administrative and educational activities, the leadership effectiveness of school leaders is greatly influenced by a combined set of factors, possibly from leadership competencies and styles as well as local and global socio-economic landscape, latest advancements of science and technology, school culture, and change in modern leadership and management practices, etc. Based on extant literature review of rigorous studies on school leadership as the main methodology adoption, the present paper purposefully seeks to propose a theoretical model of school leadership effectiveness through investigating a network of relationships amongst leadership competencies, leadership styles, external and internal factors, and leadership effectiveness for global K-12 schools. Ultimately, the proposed model has both theoretical and managerial implications. Accordingly, an insight into the nature of these relationships will first expand the existing literature in school leadership and then activate school leader self-efficacy to enrich themselves with standout knowledge, skills, and qualities in the industry and simultaneously tailor their leadership styles to specific educational practices towards change and innovation to optimize leadership effectiveness.

The present paper attempts to gain insights into Confucius' thought of education and to draw lessons for today’s education in the Industry 4.0 era. Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, deserves the world recognition as ‘the great exemplary teacher for generations’ for his dedication and contributions to education with respect to the role, aim, contents, and pedagogical methods of education. As per Confucius, education should be a universal right and not a privilege only to a group of people in society. The theory of ‘no class distinction in education’ soon initiates a real revolution in ancient educational thought, availing education to the broad masses of ordinary people. This radical thought is the greatest of all, attesting the importance of equity and equality in education to people from all walks of life. A synthesis of Confucius' thought of education from prior studies, thus, extends the existing literature on education philosophy and expands global understanding of the greatest educational thoughts of all time. These insights have practical implications for today’s educational leaders and policymakers alike.