THE CHALLENGES OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

This article presents the findings of a study conducted among school heads of primary and secondary schools during the schools' closure and transfer of education to virtual environments in spring 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to identify the school heads' strategies of transferring the education process online, key problems they faced and examine their positive experiences in dealing with the situation. The differences among school heads according to school type were also examined. The study was carried out through an online questionnaire containing 12 single-answer, multiple-choice questions, one Likert scale, and two open-ended questions. The results indicate that the schools responded immediately, but due to the lack of a unified national policy a variety of approaches was notices, including a great deal of improvisation. School heads and teachers mostly relied on their own sources of skills and knowledge, which triggered the enhancement of cooperation among employees and contributed to their professional development.