Departmental Heads as Middle Leaders: A Pivotal Role in Curriculum Implementation

Abstract

The departmental head (DH) is a central player in curriculum management and implementation in schools although traditionally this role is ascribed to the school principal. They collaborate with others above, equal and below them to realize the school’s ambitions and visions. They moderate work, monitor processes and assess progress of learners, teachers and school wide. The latter creates connectiveness aimed at strengthening the quality of teaching and learning and to ensure the implementation of the intended and official curriculum.  In addition, it weakens administrative rigidity which in many cases stifle progress. The effectiveness of DHs ensure positive outputs for their schools although this is not always the case. While there is still lack of sufficient literature on their curriculum leadership roles, growing evidence of DH contribution to curriculum implementation is notable in recent years as more and more research is done on the subject. This article  proposes to discuss numerous views and findings from notable literature and empirical research with the aim of adding to the available corpus of work on the subject. The body of work inclines to relate to middle managers leading from the middle to ensure successful implementation of the curriculum in schools. Although this may be a positive indication, the conclusion suggests that DHs as middle managers responsible for curriculum implementation in schools need training to cope with the challenges they face in the quest for curriculum implementation and positive, quality outputs.