Educational needs of the general secondary education institution heads as an indicator of the development of professional competence

The article provides an analytical review of modern studies of the educational needs of heads (leaders) of educational institutions, in particular, institutions of general secondary education, in the world and in Ukraine. It is substantiated that educational needs can serve as a kind of indicator of the development of professional competence of an educational institution head and should be the basis for the content of professional development programs for specialists. The analysis of the content of professional standards of educational institutions heads (leaders) from different countries of the world and Ukraine was carried out. The fundamental similarity of the main conceptual approaches and structural components of all standards of professional activity of educational institutions heads is revealed. The presence of some inconsistency in the content of the professional activity standard of general secondary education institutions principals in Ukraine with the list of relevant labor functions and professional competencies necessary to solve a number of issues (finance, communications, etc.) is substantiated. The generalized results of the study of the educational needs of secondary education institutions principals for improving the skills of professional activities in managing of education quality are given. The author analyzes the differences in the understanding by the heads of educational institutions of the place and purpose (orientation) of education quality management activities in the structure of their professional activities; determines the main priorities in the formation by the heads of educational institutions of their educational needs and identifies the factors that motivate school principals for self-development. It is proved that the educational needs of secondary education leaders mainly reflect modern social and educational transformations, and also characterize the level of professional development of a specialist. It has been established that the educational needs most demanded by the heads of educational institutions are due to changes in their functional powers in connection with the expansion of the autonomy of the institution, an increase in the level of responsibility for the results of the functioning of the educational institution and other processes. The revealed differences in the formulation of the educational needs of this category of specialists are a consequence of the existing national traditions in the development of educational systems, the peculiarities of the professional training of school principals and the current legal norms, in particular, in the list of job duties and competencies, the nature of responsibility for the results of the educational institution, etc.