DECISION DIMENSION OF LEADERSHIP IN EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS IN ROMANIA

Each school system aims at performing better for its students by getting better outcomes, and being able to cope with a continuously changing society. We define herein a "successful school" a school that reaches best outcomes for every learner. Accordingly, it is very important for educators and policy makers to identify those common factors that positively influence student achievement. A central concern of policy makers in education is that of identifying the best solutions for transforming a failing school into a successful one. Previous studies show that one of the major factors affecting student learning is principal's leadership. This factor can be identified in the predominant leadership style, but also through the involvement of teachers in decision-making. In this research, it was studied a sample of 8 schools in Romania that had good students outcomes. For these schools we correlated the principal's style of leadership with the teachers' involvement in decision making, to identify common elements that lead to the success of these schools. Thus, in our exploratory approach, we highlight the "recipe for success" in "successful schools."