A Comparative Study of the Policies of School Principal Appointment in Switzerland, Finland, Singapore, and South Korea: Lessons for Iran

In the past decade, the professionalism of school management and attention to the quality of the performance of school principals has been at the top of the educational policies agenda. The purpose of this study was to examine the policies for appointing school principals in countries with successful educational systems. The research is conducted using a qualitative comparative method based on George Bereday’s approach at the macro analysis level (country) and the strategy of selecting countries was “differences in social systems and similarities in the output of the educational systems.” John Stuart Mill’s differences and similarities approach was used to analyze the data. The findings of the research showed that the policies of appointing school principals in the selected countries are similar in three cases: the necessity of having teaching experience, management experience, and an entrance exam for candidates for school management positions. The findings also showed that the policies of appointing managers in the selected countries are different from each other in four cases. While in Switzerland and Finland, a master’s degree in educational administration, participation in in-service training courses and obtaining a teaching competency certificate are important; in Singapore and South Korea, the emphasis is on the presentation of projects on the goals and strategic plans of schools. According to the research findings, it is suggested that the policies of appointing school principals in Iran be rewritten based on the school principal appointment policies of Singapore and South Korea.