Primary School Principals’ Perception on the Promotion of Changes and Innovations: Evidence From Greece

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the views of primary school principals regarding the educational changes/innovations taking place in education. Innovation as a complex, long-term process sometimes shapes an educational organisation to a greater and sometimes to a lesser extent. Therefore, an innovative organization is not necessarily the one that conceived an idea, but the one that has chosen to implement and execute it (Beladakis, 2007). Therefore, an action in an organisation can be classified as an innovation when it brings about significant changes in the way it operates and reshapes its key features. The main agents of educational innovation are none other than managers/leaders and teachers, who must understand the necessity of having and effectively implementing new innovations in order to create modern and innovative schools that education requires (Day, 1990). This specific research also analyses in detail the mechanisms that contribute to the promotion, introduction and practical implementation of innovative programmes with the ultimate aim of improving the quality of education provided.