A few years ago, the Ministry of Education faced heavy criticism for proposing fixed-term contracts for school principals as a way to improve the quality of school leadership. The contracts will remain indefinite, but under a new regulation taking effect in March, principals will be required to assess their work every five years and receive feedback from an expert committee.

"Metaphorically speaking, good school leaders grow without the need for a stick. Our goal isn't to tell anyone it's time to close the door and look for a new job, but to offer feedback through the certification process that helps them do their work better," said Eve Eisenschmidt, professor of educational leadership at Tallinn University.

Mari-Liis Sults, principal of Tallinn Art High School, is among the first school leaders to be certified under the new system.

"I wrote a self-analysis that came out to nearly 20 pages. It had three parts: first, an analysis of my leadership approach — what kind of leader I am; then, activities I carry out at school that support learning, based on leadership practices, including examples, evidence, metrics and further analysis. The final section was about my personal development — where I want to grow and what I need to get there," Sults explained.

After submitting their self-analysis, principals meet with a review panel that has gone through the materials. The panel includes the school's governing authority, two already-certified principals and, when possible, a university expert in educational leadership.

"We talked for two hours and afterward they wrote a summary, sent it to me for review — it was six pages long. Then it was digitally signed and now it should be uploaded to the [education information portal] Haridussilm. In the Estonian Education Information System, there should soon be a checkmark next to my name showing that I've been certified," Sults said.

Sults will now serve on the expert panel herself to help assess fellow principals. Ideally, panel members are not from the same region as the principal being assessed and each assessment is expected to take around eight hours.

Although Education Minister Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) said last week that the first year would focus on certifying principals at transition-stage schools, this is not the case. Instead, the initial focus will be on principals who will themselves serve on certification panels and those who have held the role the longest.

"By law, we begin by certifying those who have been in the role for 10 years or more, so the more experienced principals. These are the first steps and this will be the focus for the first two years," said Liis Lehiste, education leadership and teacher policy adviser at the Ministry of Education.

The first measurable results are expected after the initial five-year certification cycle, but concerns have already emerged about whether a real, needs-based support system will be created for principals.

"If, for example, 10 or 15 or even 100 principals all identify the same development need, will this lead to the creation of targeted training plans? Will those individuals be invited into specific development programs? There should be a system to support that on the back end," Sults said.

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