In October 2003, the CIDA Minister
approved support for the Serbia
Educator Development Project (SEDP).
SEDP, based in Belgrade, became
operational in early 2004. The project
helps to improve the performance
of those senior educational leaders
at the Ministry of Education and
Sport (MoES), its regional offices,
and related institutions who work
in the area of professional development
of educators.
Context
MoES began an ambitious reform path in 2000/2001 aimed at the decentralization and democratization of educational decision-making; at improving the quality of education, and upgrading educational infrastructure and related equipment.
Since then, reform initiatives have been influenced by frequent changes in the senior leadership levels, often related to broader political changes affecting all government institutions in Serbia. While the general movement towards reform and improvements in the education sector has continued, there have been a variety of changes regarding the specific scope, pace, and direction of reforms. For educators, and education administrators at all levels this has caused a continuous challenges, as often plans had to be put on halt or changed, and roles and responsibilities of units and individuals remained unclear over long periods of time.
SEDP Programming
SEDP addresses two main target groups:
1. Mid level leaders in the Serbian Ministry of Education and Sport (MoES),
and two National Institutes;
2. The teams of the twelve Regional School Administration Offices, linked to the MoES Department for Professional Development.
Programming for capacity development
of mid level leaders focuses on
administrative and leadership skills
in order to improve organizational
performance. SEDP has developed
a comprehensive "Educational Leadership
Development Program" (ELDP) including
multi-day retreats, work-related
assignments, and ongoing coaching/mentoring.
The program is designed to ensure
that skills and knowledge addressed
are immediately relevant and applicable
in the participants' workplaces.
Programming for the regional school administration offices engages regional teams to build organizational capacity for greater effectiveness and efficiency, with a focus on the ability to manage professional development. SEDP programming includes multi-day workshops, as well as seminars for different offices on a needs basis, and ongoing coaching and mentoring.
