The Efficient Principal, a Prerequisite for Quality in Education and School Development

The article reviews the five-year follow-up of the development of five schools after the appointment of new principals. 10 indicators have been tracked with five having the greatest impact for improving the quality of education – the training of school principals; staff turnover; the ability to work with people; clear strategy and innovative thinking with a long-term perspective. The results show that the development and improvement of the quality in the secondary education system not only in Bulgaria has for driving force the school principals. The fundamental principles are the selection of school heads in Bulgaria and how this would improve the system. With the help of delegated budgets applied in the last few years a higher motivation and differentiation of the staff has also been achieved. Without innovation and further development the quality in education drops while bureaucracy literally demolishes the achievements in education. Major factor for the development of the school education is the growth of school principals in four directions – increasing personal culture and intellect, a good methodical training, adequate professional (managerial) training and respective financial competence, all of them in the context of innovation and progress.