Background

The APEC School Leadership Program (ASLP) was proposed by the Ministry of Education in Korea as part of the APEC Community for Education Innovation (CEDI) and officially endorsed by the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) in 2017.

Research conducted in 2018-2019 concluded that teachers’ competencies are crucial to nurturing future talents who can effectively respond to the fast-changing society. Another key finding is that school leaders’ competencies positively correlate with teachers' professional development. OECD also suggests that effective school leadership is essential to improve the efficiency, equity, and quality of education (Pont et al., 2008). It demonstrates that successful school leaders can improve teaching and learning indirectly and most powerfully through their support and influence on staff motivation, commitment, and working conditions (Leithwood et al., 2008).

Having held two pilot programs with 14 school leaders from 5 APEC economies in 2019, the Institute of APEC Collaborative Education (IACE) officially launched the program in 2020. During the first round of the ASLP, it invited 30 leaders from 6 economies. Since then, the program has expanded its reach and impact, engaging more school leaders from a variety of economies.

Here are the key outcomes expected from the ASLP:

• 1) Enhancing the capacity of school leaders in areas such as global competence and digital literacy
• 2) Sharing education policies, cultures, and school innovation experiences of participating schools
• 3) Fostering education cooperation in the APEC region

Objective

To better equip school leaders with the skills and knowledge for the future by fostering high-quality digital literacy and inclusive education cooperation.

Participated Economies (13)

*10 APEC member economies (AUS, INA, ROK, PHL, THA, RUS, SGP, CT, MAS, USA)

+ 3 Non-member economies (Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Nigeria)