Eureka! Institutional Repository

Education system organization is defined by several parameters which actually form the implemented pedagogic and educational ideology. Our goal is to detect innovative management functions in the primary and secondary education through the advantages recording as well as the potential complications that may arise based on recent international and Greek literature review, but also by conducting primary research. Educational goals provide the basic knowledge and abilities to citizens at global level for their social integration and their professional rehabilitation. Consequently, education could be declared a basic human right. In modern societies the reinsurance of determining but also implementing educational programs comes from the competent bodies. However the way of organization and the results of education are affected by the political, economic and cultural conditions of every society. School management ought to activate and guide its manpower in such a way that educational goals are fulfilled. The school manager is responsible to take into account all technical and practical issues with view to fostering a safe and pleasant school environment. Needless to say, the school manager is the one to direct superiors’ behavior by implementing an interpersonal management. Education constitutes of a particular social domain, where general principles of management could be applied, by adapting the continuous requirements of educational process. Under this concept, guidance and urge are the basic characteristics of implementing the fundamental principles of management. The main elements of educational management are the efficient teaching and education organization, the development of an effective management structure, the successful distribution and exploitation of manpower and the use of time, space and available resources in a cost-effective way. Today, many management models of educational institutions are being applied with view to designing activities, practices and material of the educational process, to effectively organizing school management, to guiding manpower and to controlling educational procedures. Innovation has been incorporated into the educational system providing new pedagogical methods, new educational tools, specialized skills and reflection regarding educational goals and practices. Main advantages of innovative management functions in education concern the uprising of performance management and organization of all management levels of the educational process, but also the more constructive communication and collaboration of all entities and individuals included in the educational process. Last but not least, innovation in educational management promotes an easy data collection and analysis of all school management characteristics. Questionnaires were distributes to 200 primary and secondary school managers of the prefecture of Attica and revealed that innovative actions, according to participants, are mainly detected in the organization of an educational institution. According to research results, special attention should be drawn to the organization and management field of schools, as far as innovative actions are concerned. Interestingly enough, the opinion of a large percentage of participants does not support the inclusion of innovation into the educational process, which is a finding that must be seriously taken into consideration by competent operators. The lack of infrastructures as well as funding are the basic obstacles in order to implement innovative school management functions, revealing economic crisis effects in Greek schools. The greatest percentage of school manager thinks that provides the required support and encouragement to teachers at both moral and material level. The use of presentations and videos are the dominant innovative means adopted by teachers, while Environmental Education and Health Education prevail among educational projects. To conclude innovative school management functions are today a reality, even in Greece facing a serious economic and social crisis. Nevertheless for an effective implementation of innovation in the educational process, several improvements are required in the fields of training and funding