If you have ever tried to translate the word “leadership” into French or German, you’ll know that the concept doesn’t necessarily cross country boarders so easily. It is not just the word that doesn’t translate so well but also all the connotations and the related cultural context. The way the concept of leadership is perceived and put into practice says a lot about the approach being adopted to organisation and also to learning. It shouldn’t surprise us then that some countries spend millions on training leaders for schools whereas others don’t even grant people in potential leadership positions in schools the freedom to lead. Nor should it surprise us that some countries see leadership at all level of the organisation, whereas others keep the reins of leadership firmly at the top. Caution is then advisable when exploring leadership and training for leadership amongst peers in an international context. Misunderstandings are so easy when you use the same words to talk about different things. At the same time, such differences, once they become apparent, can be a strong driver for curiosity and exploration, opening hitherto unknown doors and increasing mutual understanding.

Much attention is currently being granted to peer exchange in Europe. European Schoolnet and its partners, for example, are working on one such project called P2P, peer reviewing about policy-making, inspecting and school practice in education. The activities of the PIC are also centred on peer exchange as part of an on-going institutional learning process about policy-making in Europe. The present publication is one of the fruits of that learning process which we share with you. All the documents printed here are also available online at insight.eun.org, some of them in extended, in-depth versions.

Alan McCluskey, chairperson of the PIC
Head of International Projects, the Swiss Agency for ICT in Education (CTIE)