Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and School Leadership

Abstract

ESD aims at educating individuals to have competencies that enable them to think about the effects of their activities globally and locally, economically, socially, and environmentally and contribute to sustainability with their behaviors and also advance their society towards SD with their ideas and participation. School leadership plays a vital role in implementing and promoting ESD projects and initiatives. The ability of school leaders to effectively communicate with the school community and gain the commitment of students and staff is a critical component of the success of transforming education to tackle sustainable development issues. Therefore, to lead the change in their contexts, educational leaders must possess several critical competencies concerning the topic of ESD, including skills in strategic management, strategic and systemic thinking, an appropriate mindset, an open, broad view, and also the ability to envision school and education in a positive light, especially when it comes to ESD.