Abstract:

Building a leading country in education is grounded in basic education. The modernization of basic education governance is an important part of national governance modernization and an inherent requirement for building a leading country in education. To accelerate this process, it is necessary to enhance primary and secondary school principals’ leadership. Principals serve as “leading geese” and driving forces in school governance, quality improvement, and educational development. Their leadership is closely related to the implementation of educational policies, the improvement of teaching quality, and the consolidation of the foundation for building a leading country in education. Principals should demonstrate strong political commitment, moral integrity, professional competence, and effective school governance capacity, while continuously improving their modern leadership. This study reviews existing research on the connotations, classifications, and improvement pathways of primary and secondary school principals’ leadership, and further explores strategies for cultivating such leadership in China from the dimensions of values, planning, curriculum, communication, international engagement, innovation, public opinion, and crisis management.

Key words: leading country in education, primary and secondary school principals, leadership, educator spirit