Within the frame of the project, our group has interviewed an entrepreneur in order to learn more about the principles of entrepreneurialism in education. The given paper analyzes the interview with the head of the Wesgreen International School situated in Sharjah. Importantly, it argues that the interviewee could become a successful principal of the school that has been planned within the frame of the project.
The school that has been planned within the frame of the project is expected to become one of the key educational institutions in terms of the use of the innovative approach to education. Also, when it comes to the key features of the educational institution discussed in the project, it is pivotal to note that special attention is to be paid to the needs of students and the extent to which the use of teaching strategies, communication strategies, and learning materials allows children to achieve positive results. Apart from that, the key values that are to be emphasized by education professionals working in the planned school include accessibility in education and the use of individual approach to education if necessary. The head of the school is expected to do his or her best to ensure that current teaching practices help to develop creativity, communication skills, ICT literacy, global awareness, health, and leadership skills in students.
The key concepts that are closely interconnected with the behavior of successful entrepreneurs include “innovation, opportunism, risk-taking, and resource management” (Leonard, 2013, p, 152). The concepts are presented in the seventh chapter of the book. Taking into account the key long-term goals of the planned educational institution and the opinion expressed by the interviewee, the latter would become a good leader of the school. As is clear from the concepts highlighted by Leonard (2013), innovative behavior is among the factors that define good leaders. Modern education, the interviewee states, is to provide children with an opportunity to explore outside the box. In particular, the interviewee highlights that innovation is inextricably connected with learning from one’s own mistakes, and she believes that providing children with an opportunity to gain experience is paramount to success.
In terms of opportunism (in its positive meaning), the interviewee would become a successful leader of the school because she lists flexibility among the most important qualities for teachers. Also, the interviewee is ready to reconsider school management strategies to derive the maximum benefit from the changing environment. The readiness to provide progress to the school and encourage education professionals to be flexible would make the interviewee a good leader of the school discussed in the project.
The third important component of entrepreneurial leadership in education is presented by the readiness to take risks. Speaking about this component, it is necessary to mention that a successful leader should also be good at assessing risks and their potential impact on the situation to avoid making cost-prohibitive decisions. As it follows from the answers given by the interviewee, she has her own vision when it comes to the role of risks for students. Even though she does not discuss the problem in an explicit manner, her willingness to avoid hyper protection at school demonstrates her readiness to take risks and be responsible for any results.
Finally, the concept of resource management is related to the effective use of any resources that an organization has. In reference to the interviewee, she believes that flexibility is among the key qualities that teachers have to demonstrate. In this connection, her role is to keep track of external and internal changes and manage human resources in an effective manner.
Reference
Leonard, J. (2013). Innovation in the schoolhouse: Entrepreneurial leadership in education. Plymouth, the United Kingdom: R&L Education.