School policies, leadership, and learning with technologies : an international comparative study

Little research has been conducted into the links or intersections between school leadership, teaching and learning with technologies, and the quality of students' outcomes at school. While it is recognised that principals hold a central position in leading schools pedagogical and administrative practices, little is known about what is the role of the school principal in implementing policies that are aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools, or to achieve smart student learning outcomes. These issues are examined in this paper by reviewing and analysing national school education policies from Singapore, Finland and Hong Kong: countries that have performed highly on both international assessments of students’ performance, and assessments of countries international competitiveness. The policies used in these countries aimed at fostering ‘smart learning’ are examined to determine what lessons can be learned by those nations currently not performing as highly on these internationally-comparative assessments. This paper aims to open up spaces that are at the intersection between the three educational priorities of policies, school leadership and ‘smart learning’, to consider what are the implications for school leadership practices.