Joanna Madalińska-Michalak

This paper reports on a nationwide mixed methods study that investigated the challenges faced by teachers who teach ethics at schools in Poland. Several challenges affecting teachers in Poland were identified. These challenges included: qualifications of teachers; teacher education; didactics (teaching and learning); teaching materials and teaching aids; attractiveness of ethics as the subject at school; organization of work for delivering lessons of ethics; pupil traits and teaching programs; stereotypes related to the perception of ethics as the school subject. In the paper the special attention is paid to the challenges related to qualifications of teachers of ethics and their teacher education. The findings suggest that support provided for teachers of ethics must be aligned to local and school educational policies and educational conditions as well as strategies at national level. This paper contributes to understanding the complexities of the work of teachers who teach ethics at schools in Poland. 

The subject of discussion in this article includes work headmaster and its distinguishing features and issues of roles and professional development of school director. The article emphasizes the need syncretic approach in the person of headmaster roles related to the administration, management and leadership of the school and its environment, and puts the question of what underlies the competence of school principals working under constant pressure. The conclusions concerning the professional development of directors and their professionalism.

The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the literature on leadership, innovation and learning for quality of school education. The special attention is paid to the role of school principal leadership in creating and sustaining the innovative learning environments that support the development of critical practitioner research. It is assumed that practitioner research can promote creative partnerships between those institutions in which teachers and academics work in order to support knowledge creation and quality of teaching. This paper presents chosen findings of a study that involved interviews with a number of focus groups involving school leaders in a number of Polish state schools. The main aim of this research was to recognize the experiences and the needs of school principals concerning practitioner research, their perceptions on the role of school leaders in supporting culture for quality improvements in practitioner research, and on the conditions of mutual participation of academics and practitioners in the social process of creating educational knowledge. Findings direct our attention to the role of school principals and their leadership in creating the innovative learning environments that are favorable for mutual participation of academics and practitioners in the social process of educational knowledge creation.

The paper reveals the reality of the teaching profession and teachers' working conditions in Poland and refers to the future of the teaching profession. The paper assumed that education, including teacher education, is one of the most important assets and one of the crucial tasks of the state, hence it should be given priority. The teacher has been assigned a strategic role in the functioning and effectiveness of the education system. As demonstrated, playing this role should be supported by state actions to shape the future of the teaching profession. At the core of these activities are strategies that increase the attractiveness of the teaching profession and the social recognition of the importance of teachers; work and empowering teachers. The paper presents the thesis that strengthening the socio-professional position of the teacher is indispensable in actions aimed at improving the quality of education. In many countries, including Poland, more should be invested in the development of teachers and competitive conditions of their employment and work. Striving to strengthen the profession should become a priority in the activities of both state and local authorities, as well as the work of teacher training universities.

This paper analyses the successful school principals’ leadership practices in supporting school and teachers’ resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research reported in this paper asks the question: what are the successful leaders’ main ways of supporting resilience in schools and teachers in Poland for maximising the possible positive outcomes of remote education in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Drawing on five case studies, the paper shows seven core successful school leadership practices – sustaining education service delivery and innovations; planning in a context of uncertainty and responding to changes in national policy; re-framing and extending “Health & Safety” policies based on health and education data; leadership across the school; provision of an inclusive curriculum; inclusive partnership with children’s families; and teachers’ motivation, commitment and professional development. The paper concludes with implications for further research and with questions on school principals’ role in building back more resilient education systems.

The article presents a study which main objective was to expand knowledge on teachers’ experiences, readiness, and conditions for effective reaction to significantly changed social circumstances and conditions of their work. The study was performed amongst primary and secondary teachers in Poland, using a proprietary online survey. The study found that the majority of teachers have access to the required equipment and traditional educational resources. However, a significant number of teachers still need recourses required for the distance education. The study also found that the majority of teachers feel very well or adequately prepared for work in new conditions. Yet, a considerable number of teachers still indicate a need for additional training and support, although a vast majority of them are intensively involved in various forms of innovative work and self-directed learning. On a basis of the study results, the authors recommend a number of topics and directions for pre-service teacher education at universities and continuous professional development. These recommendations can contribute to the quality of education during the COVID-19 pandemic and in postpandemic conditions.