1. Situation: values, position and influences.
ESHA is the organisation for (organisations of) schoolheads in Europe. Members of ESHA have important common values and convictions such as:

• Education should offer each student equal opportunities to develop in knowledge and in skills, but also in personality and to prepare on full participation in society;
• our world is a global village in which our youngsters will be mobile inhabitants; international aspects therefore should be integrated in their education;
• Schools should be constantly looking for innovation and for possibilities to restyle their approach, making use of all possible means like ICT.
• Schoolheads can and should make the difference within their school in activating and stimulating both staff members and students.
• National associations have to pave the way for heads.
• ESHA has to facilitate and stimulate the member-associations

ESHA is involved in all matters that are relevant for schoolleaders, such as:

• the quality and development of education
• the policy on education
• the position of schoolleaders and the quality of schoolleadership

1.1 Educational changes in Europe
Education is in permanent change and development in all countries of Europe.
Aspects are:

• Growing differentiation among he students (migrants’ children)
• Growing supply of methods for learning
• Increasing use of IT and internet
• Increasing relevance of international traffic and international issues
• Declining social position of teachers
• Difficult recruitment of teachers and shortage of staff
• Decreasing budgets

1.2 Educational policy in Europe
Despite of the decreasing budget, the expectations on education are growing. The Lisbon declaration had a great impact in its emphasis on the economical value of education. But at the same time society / governments underline the role of schools in enforcing values like integration and harmony. (school as repair shop for society)

The tendency is that countries are moving from a centralised system to a (more) decentralised one with:

• More responsibilities, rights and risks for the schools and/or the local authorities (including other financial arrangements)
• More autonomy for the schools and the head teachers

However, society and the government do not seem to be sure about how to steer: on Input, Process or Output or on all of them. There is a strong tendency towards steering by Quality Evaluation, which often means steering on all aspects.

On the international level there is a growing tendency to compare the results of the various educational systems by European benchmarks and international research-projects.

1.3 Schoolheads and school leadership
In all educational systems the position of the schoolleader is vital for the performance of the school. However, when autonomy increases, the position of schoolleaders is becoming even more important and more complex. The claims on financial and human resource management increase. Accountibility is becoming more complex. In that process the role of a head teacher is changing from an educational foreman, administrator and employee into an educational leader, entrepreneur, employer and manager.

The situation of the most senior teacher becoming the schoolhead does not fit anymore.

2. Goals for ESHA
Reviewing these tendencies, influences and opportunities it is evident for each schoolleaders organisation to have the following goals:

- promoting good education, leading to optimal results for each student, and including

+ adapted learning pathways for each individual student

+ a variety of modern means for learning

+ preparing students on actual and future aspects of living, including international

issues

+ a good working climate for the staff members

- influencing the policy of the government, striving for improvement of (conditions for) education

- emphasizing the particular role of the schoolleader and promoting conditions that improve the quality of schoolleadership

- giving their members the opportunity for mutual exchange of ideas and support

The national organisations within ESHA do share these goals within the context of their own national system.

As an European association ESHA shares these goals too. ESHA does not interfere in national issues, but will play its role on the European level, influencing European policy. ESHA furthermore is an international community in which experiences, visions and views between the members are exchanged and in which new ideas are born. This means:

• discussing and developing views within the ESHA-membership on innovative education and on schoolleadership
• promoting these views on the European level
• influencing the policy of the European institutions (Commission, Parliament)
• promoting international exchange and cooperation
• supporting the member organisations to play their role on the national level

3. Means to attain these goals
ESHA will involve all possible means to attain the goals that are mentioned above. Each year the intended actions will be stated in a working plan. In general however the means are:

3.1 Vision papers
Every year ESHA develops within the membership one or more Vision Papers on fundamental educational issues. Developing these papers is an intense process, in which the members exchange their views and learn from the different approaches. The result is a firmly based statement, supported by the schoolleader organisations over Europe. In publishing the Vision Papers ESHA expresses the influence of schoolleaders on the international discussion and policy.

3.2 Conferences
ESHA organises international conferences where schoolleaders from all over Europe do meet and have exchange on views and experiences. The learning by the participants is furthermore stimulated by excellent speakers who introduce the latest insights from both theory and practice. Beside smaller conferences on special issues, one big conference is held every two years on a broader base.

3.3 International Projects
ESHA is always prepared to start own projects or to join initiatives from other parties. These projects offer the framework for further international cooperation and exchange on special issues.

Possible issues are:

• founding international networks of professional schoolheads
• reinforcing the professional skills and attitudes of schoolleaders
• distributing important views and developments to schoolleaders in Europe
• stimulating the international character of schools and education
• reinforcing the role of schoolleaders organisations

3.4 External Contacts
The members of ESHA, and especially the Executive Board, will maintain and extend all contacts that help to attain the ESHA goals. Involved are contacts with

• European institutions like European Commission and European Parliament.
• other European organisations in education like AEDE and ETUCE (teachers), EPA (parents) and OBESSU (students)
• European organisations on special issues like European Schoolnet or CEC.
• International Schoolheads Organisations like ICP.

If possible and useful ESHA will participate in relevant activities by these organisations.

3.5 (Internal) Communication
In order to maintain the common network, to further the work of the member-organisations and to distribute its views, ESHA will make use of various instruments for communication.

Of course meetings are the most intense way for internal communication, but not always the easiest and quickest one. Also ways for more frequent communication are used, such as mailings, newsletters and website. Especially the website can be and should become a vivid instrument for frequent communication within the ESHA community.

Of course the website also has an important external effect.

3.6 Internal Organisation
ESHA wants to be an organisation that works in an effective way and that is the real representative of schoolleaders on the European level. ESHA needs to have:

• a small but decisive Executive Board
• an executive office that meets professional standards
• a representation in all countries for both primary and secondary education.