Chinese Education & Society, 51: 359–371, 2018

Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 1061-1932 print/1944-7116 online
DOI: 10.1080/10611932.2018.1510689

Hong Kong Principal Professional Development: Context,

Challenges, and Opportunities
Ting Yin Wong and Peng Liu
Abstract: The authors review the current school principal leadership development program in
Hong Kong and analyze the challenges and opportunities based on existing scholarly work in the
field. Based on the previous analysis from the literature, five areas in current principal leadership
development are identified as key dimensions which need further improvement: vice principals’
career aspirations, the influence of societal culture on Hong Kong principals’ professional devel-
opment, professional development needs of newly appointed principals, university-central author-
ity-leader partnership, and principals’ influence on school performance and teachers’ professional
development. Combined with the findings from other literature in the Hong Kong context, it is
shown that these areas are essential to the success of effective principal professional development
in Hong Kong but they have not been sufficiently studied and practiced. This study could shed
light on the future development of school principal leadership training in the Hong
Kong context.

INTRODUCTION

Principal leadership development is essential to school success (Hallinger 2003). Especially

in the Hong Kong context, the principal has the role as the chief executive officer within the
school organization (Ng 2013; as cited in Ng 2015). A comprehensive program has been
designed for beginning principals in Hong Kong to prepare them for their school leadership
position since 2000. Scholars have investigated the design of this program and analyzed how
to improve the effectiveness of the mechanism for principal leadership learning (Cheung and
Walker 2006; Wong 2005). However, literature has stressed this although current literature
has studied the role of principal as school manager, decision maker, facilitator, and instruc-
tional leader, there is limited research on how principal professional development has pre-
pared them for the current social and organizational challenges (Keung 2007). It is suggested
that the complex role of beginning principals in the reform context is influenced by various
personal factors, diverse needs of students, and changing expectations from teachers, parents
and the community (Cheng and Walker 2006; Ng and Szeto 2016). In this article, contextual
background is first introduced to review how leadership development programs have been
implemented in the Hong Kong school context. A conceptual framework is developed and
presented afterward to analyze the challenges and opportunities based on current scholarly

Ting Yin Wong is a professor in the Faculty of Education, at The University of Hong Kong. Peng Liu is a profes-
sor in the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada.
360 CHINESE EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

work in the field. The analysis has investigated in detail the principal learning mechanisms
and leadership development program features to draw on implications for future program
development for Hong Kong principals.

CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND

The contextual background first described the professional development for Hong Kong
principal in the early age when it is criticized that there were not enough preparation in
terms of long-term career development and immediate job requirement for principals.
Since the launch of the Education Commission Report No. 7 in 1997 and the annual pol-
icy address by the Chief Executive in 1999, the Hong Kong government has made
increasing effort in providing professional training for principals. A formal two-year lead-
ership development program for newly appointed principals (NAPs) was launched in
2000 and the Blue Skies program was developed by scholars in 2005. The contextual
background of this article described the development of the formal training for Hong
Kong principals in detail.
Principal professional development in Hong Kong has undergone significant changes since
the 1980s. Critical changes to the training of principals were marked by two policies by the
Hong Kong government, namely the Education Commission Report No. 7 in 1997 and the
leadership development program for newly appointed principals’ (NAPs) in 2000. In the
1980s, beginning principals were assigned to participate in a basic short course (10 days for
primary school principals and 9 days for secondary school principals) (Kwan 2011). These
induction programs trained principals with fundamental school management and leadership
skills. Additional ad hoc training for aspiring, newly appointed and serving principals were
also provided by the then Education Department, various School Sponsoring Bodies, and
other professional development associations and higher education institutes (Walker 2004a;
as cited in Walker, Hallinger, and Qian 2007). These programs were delivered by universities
so the design was strongly influenced by the scholars. However, it is criticized that these pro-
grams have limited connections with major education reform and leadership practices in real
life school setting (Walker and Dimmock 2005). It is also criticized that these programs did
not prepare principals for their long-term career aspiration but only train them to fulfill
immediate job requirement (Kwan 2011).
Since 1992, extra resources were provided to schools to adopt School Management
Initiative (SMI). SMI reformed schools into school-based management and provided princi-
pals with stronger roles in school decision-making, more freedom in utilizing resources, and
more comprehensive activity planning in school (Dimmock and Walker 1998). Higher educa-
tion institutes were also authorized by the then Education Department to implement 30-hr
professional development program for principals, assistant principals and school supervisors
in schools under the SMI. For schools not under the SMI, district-based seminars and work-
shops are arranged by the then Education Department in 1998 to train principals in similar
fashion (Walker and Dimmock 2006).
From 1997 onwards, the importance of school leadership development has been increas-
ingly stressed in government documents. Education Commission Report No. 7 stated that
 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 361

principals should be supported with appropriate development opportunities (Education

Commission 1997). An example is a government-funded five-week School Management for
Principals (SMP) leadership training program for serving and newly appointed primary
school principals ran by the then Hong Kong Institution of Education to assist the implemen-
tation of school-based management (Wong 2004). However, the limited finance and resour-
ces has prohibited the implementation of internship and mentorship scheme, and practice
assessment for principals.
In the 1999 annual policy address by the Chief Executive, it is required that all newly
appointed principals should fulfill mandated requirements before appointed as principals
(HKSAR Government 1999). This lead to the establishment of the “Task Group on the
Training and Development of School Heads” in 1999 for developing structural framework
for school principals’ continuing professional development (Kwan 2011). The policy on
“Continuing Professional Development for School Excellence” (Education Department 2002)
was adopted in 2002 after two consultation documents from the government (Kwan 2011).
These documents have stressed the importance of training newly appointed principals. The
program structure developed through this policies is very different from any previous pro-
gram, which has set the foundation and standards for current professional development
for principals.
After the introduction of the above policies, a formal two-year leadership development
program for newly appointed principals’ (NAPs) was launched in 2000. The four constituent
parts are: Needs Assessment for Principals in Hong Kong (NSFPhk), Induction Programme,
School Leadership Development (SLD) Programme, and Extended Programme (Education
Department 2002). Principals are required to finish this program within the first two years of
assuming the principal position. Walker, Chen, and Qian (2009) stressed that this framework
offered principals with a mandatory and time-regulated structure to develop through cultural
approach and structural pathway. This framework has also reduced the previously strict
requirements on serving principals. A succeeding continuing professional development pro-
grams have been introduced as in-service program for NAPs. They were aimed at promoting
a culture of life-long learning for principals (Education Department 2002). Scholars have
noted that the emphasis of these programs have shifted from classroom off-the-job training
to multifacet on-the-job development (Kwan 2011). Table 1 summarized the main require-
ments for different levels of principal leadership. Along this program or framework, various
School Sponsoring Bodies and private international schools have designed their own princi-
pal professional development program.
In view of the changing demands on the education sector, the new Blue Skies program
was suggested by scholars as a trial to provide additional professional and psychological sup-
port, and multilayered communities of practice to the principal community (Walker and
Quong 2005). The Blue Skies program was developed by scholars in “Professional Learning
Programme for Beginning Principals” (Walker and Quong 2005) and guided roughly by the
“Key Qualities of the Principalship in Hong Kong” (Walker et al. 2002). Scholars have tried
to transfer the literature findings into leadership practices to develop the leadership develop-
ment program. This program is aimed at offering an enhanced principal leadership develop-
ment framework and shifting the emphasis of leadership development from the one focusing
on structures to the one emphasizing on learning (Walker and Dimmock 2006). Blue Skies is
362 CHINESE EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

TABLE 1
Main requirements for different levels of principal leadership

Different levels of principal leadership Main requirements

Aspiring principals (APs) (vice principals, head of APs should obtain the Certification for Principalship
departments and senior teachers) (CFP), which is a two-year 75-h academic course, and
obey current appointment conditions. They also need
to participate in a one-day needs analysis workshop,
and hand in a portfolio. CFP is good for five
years only.
Newly appointed principals (NAPs) (principals who just NAPs need to take part in a needs assessment, an induc-
assume their positions within two years) tion program, and a leadership development program.
They are also required to participate in continue pro-
fessional development activities, and submit annual
professional portfolio to respective school govern-
ing board.
Serving principals (SPs) (principals with experience of Within the three-year cycle, SPs should participate in
more than two years) 150 h of continue professional development activities
conduct in three modes: structured learning, action
learning and community service.

a 12-month program which begins after the principals have been in the position for a year.
The key component is the 17 Learning Squares which is made up of three newly appointed
principals and one experienced principal who serves as mentor, coach and counsel within the
square. The program also focuses on the long-term collaboration between principals and
between schools to create learning partnerships and build flexible professional learning com-
munity for principals. It is also stressed that this leadership development programs could
strengthen leaders’ learning habit and shift the culture into a more collaborative learning
approach (Walker, Chan, and Wong 2005).

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The conceptual framework of this study is built based on Kwan’s (2011) previous research
on school leadership development in Hong Kong. Relevant literature has been focusing on
investigating the skills, knowledge and values needed for newly appointed principals to fulfill
social and organizational needs (Cheung and Walker 2006; Walker and Kwan 2009b). Other
scholars have pay attention to the design of school leadership and administration system
(Walker and Dimmock 2006). However, relatively fewer studies have analyzed the leadership
development framework at the organizational level and made suggestions on how preservice
and in-service training could be provided to principals more effectively (Hallinger and Lu
2013; Kwan 2011 as cited in Walker and Hallinger 2015). This study has therefore adopted
the findings made by Kwan (2011) to construct the conceptual framework for analyzing and
reviewing the current principal professional development in Hong Kong. In Kwan (2011), a
comprehensive review of the context has been conducted and suggestions for future develop-
ment on school management are proposed. These suggestions aimed to help school
 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 363

sponsoring bodies and policy-makers to better address and improve a number of issues
regarding school leadership development in Hong Kong. The conceptual framework for this
study is drawn based on these issues, but modification has been adopted based on the review
of other literature to picture the most up-to-date status and challenges of the current profes-
sional development for principals in Hong Kong.
The first improvement strategy from Kwan (2011) is to design leadership development
programs for vice principals. It is stressed that vice principals in Hong Kong often need to
help principals to handle disagreement between teachers in implementing school changes,
supervise and assess teacher performance, and distribute tasks to teachers (Walker and Kwan
2009a). However, vice principals also found it challenging to balance these responsible and
still keep a harmonious relationship with teachers. Kwan (2011) suggested that leadership
development program for vice principals should address these issues related to their roles
and responsibilities in school management. Second, Kwan (2011) suggested that schools
could develop their respective school leader succession plan. The confined leadership respon-
sibilities of vice principals have limited their professional growth and career aspirations. A
school leader succession plan could better prepare vice principals for principalship. We have
combined the conceptual framework on these two issues into one category, namely vice
principals’ career aspirations. Vice principals’ career advancement and related professional
development needs are further analyzed.
The third area described by Kwan (2011) is the importance of fostering an innovative
school culture. Analysis on the Blue Skies program found that it is challenging for school
principals to implement changes or innovations in schools because of the conservative school
culture in Hong Kong which resist changes (Walker and Hu 2008). Because of the lack of
communication between principals and teachers, innovations are also regarded by school
members as the personal aspirations of principals rather than the organizational school objec-
tives. Kwan proposed that including more school members in professional learning could cre-
ate supportive and competence teams for implementing school change. The influence of
societal culture on Hong Kong principals’ professional development is analyzed in
this article.
The fourth area for improvement described by Kwan (2011) is the importance of fostering
a sense of commitment to continuous learning among school leaders. Analysis on the Blue
Skies program found that principals value highly their networking opportunities and informal
discussion with other principals (Walker and Hu 2008). However, it is stressed that profes-
sional development program which help principals to sustain long-term professional networks
is critical to support their commitment to lifelong learning and encourage them to focus on
long-term individual and organizational benefits. We have further extended this argument
and reviewed the broader scope of research, as professional development needs of newly
appointed principals. We have provided review and analysis on articles which investigated
the needs and demands of newly appointed principals in the Hong Kong context.
The fifth area for improvement suggested by Kwan (2011) is the importance of gathering
a group of experienced, competent, and committed principals to pass on their skills to begin-
ning principals. Experienced principals have served as mentors, coaches and counselors in
the Blue Skied program and this setting is perceived by principals to be highly effective and
beneficial. In current Hong Kong context, the internship and partnership program for
364 CHINESE EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

principals are also closely linked to university and central authority. We have analyzed the
research on university-central authority-leader partnership for principal professional develop-
ment in the Hong Kong context, which also exists in a number of international context.
Last, Kwan (2011) stressed the importance of principals to have the competence and skills
to interact professionally with teachers. How principals interact and provide emotional sup-
port for teachers are important part of principals’ responsibilities and professional training is
needed to better prepare principals for this role. We have investigated principals’ influence
on school performance and teachers’ professional development, which has been highlighted
and analyzed in the literature. Principals have been described as having significant role in
influencing school performance and teachers’ professional development.

ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

Vice Principals’ Career Aspirations

Various articles have discussed vice principals’ career advancement to principalship. The
official vice principal position in Hong Kong primary schools were set up in the 2008–2009
academic year due to the widespread demand from the schools and the evidence from a gov-
ernment report on the importance of middle leaders in schools to strengthening school vision
and managing priorities (Committee on Teachers’ Work 2006; Wu, Yu, and Lee 2012). In
academia, Kwan (2011) has, in a number of articles, investigated vice principals’ roles and
career development to principalship in the Hong Kong context. These articles investigated
how job satisfaction is linked to vice principals’ desire for principalship, how different job
responsibility dimensions of vice principals have prepared them for principalship, and how
vice principals’ perception of suitability for principalship matches with the selection criteria
set out by school hiring bodies (Kwan 2009a, 2009b, 2013; Lee, Kwan, and Walker 2009). It
is found that vice principals spent the majority of working time on staff management and
they spent the least amount of time on resource management. Among the seven work respon-
sibility dimensions used in this study, it is found that only the “strategic direction and policy
environment” dimension is perceived by vice principals as being able to prepare them for
principalship (Kwan 2009a). Other studies have also investigated what aspects of the work
are perceived by vice principals to be important to their professional development. Wu et al.
(2012) found that ability to handle crisis, understanding of latest education policy, and cap-
acity in team leadership are the most wanted. A few particular practices are stressed to be
especially important, they are—training vice principals to be leaders, increasing their ability
in supervision and planning, and building their capacity in strengthening the connections
between principals and other school staffs. Ng (2013) also supported the view that training
vice principals to be effective school leaders is important to prepare them for principalship.
From this literature, it is found that involving vice principals in school strategic planning,
education policy implementation, and leadership training, and empowering teachers’ profes-
sional development are the best strategies to prepare them for principalship. Vice principals’
career advancement and leader succession plan have not been adequately investigated and
this literature has provided insights on the possible future development plan.
 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 365

Literature has also investigated vice principals’ career advancement from the perspective
of the school hiring bodies. Kwan’s (2012) interviews with school superintendents who have
served as principals’ selection panel members found that candidates’ length of experience as
vice principals and prior involvement in curriculum development are important indicators of
their competence in one of the educator roles of principalship. However, it is also found that
the administrator and community builder roles are perceived by the school superintendents to
be more important than the educator role. Principals have an important role in supporting
senior teachers and vice principals to reach their professional development goals through
involving them in instructional leadership and collaborating in other dimensions of adminis-
trative duties (Wong 2009). Additionally, Kwan (2013) found that vice principals perceived
themselves to be suitable for the principal position by looking at four main criteria they
believed to be important to the school hiring bodies—school management capacities, commu-
nication skills, related experience and knowledge, and religious background and value. But
they perceived themselves to be deficient in the last criteria and they are also least confident
in this category. From an individual perspective, Kwan (2009b) found that three factors on
job satisfaction could influence vice principals’ decision to become principals. The three fac-
tors are—professional commitment, sense of efficacy and sense of synchrony—and the last
factor is found to possess a negative influence as opposed to the former two factors (Kwan
2009b). The research findings from this literature shows that the competence quality for prin-
cipalship is different when perceived by different stakeholders. Further research could be
conducted in this area to draw more comprehensive results.

Influence of Societal Culture on Hong Kong Principals’ Professional Development

Scholars have studied the influence of societal culture on leadership and stressed the import-
ance of culture and education context to leadership development program. Cheong (2000)
found that there are significant difference between individual principals in Hong Kong which
would require special leadership development program to master these diverse differences.
Apart from the variation in the capacities in leadership, the societal culture, local context,
and personal attributes of principals can contribute to the variation in school leadership.
Hong Kong education culture is characterized by exam-focused, unclear accountability sys-
tem, and unstructured training for principals. Walker (1996) stressed the great discrepancy
between administrator’s belief about principal professional development and real practices of
principals. They do not belief in the strong relationship between school change and profes-
sional development. Teachers were not believed to be involved in developing school-wide
professional development. Principals at that time also reflected that most principal profes-
sional development was conducted in a one-time workshop format and they did not get suffi-
cient support from the government on improving professional learning.
As Hong Kong’s education reform continues to evolve, social and political changes have
transformed the expectations on school leadership role and their professional development. A
leadership development framework has been introduced in recent years and a huge varieties
of learning mode has been launched (Kwan 2011). Preparing candidates for school leadership
and providing principals with professional development has also been regarded as a long-
term and continuous professional pursuit. But Hong Kong schools have been characterized as
366 CHINESE EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

having culture of high power-distance and focuses on group dynamics. This has led to diffi-
culties in implementing leadership practices. High power distance culture has led to clear
division of labors between school leaders and teachers which contributed to teachers’ limited
incentives to work for organization goals and school reform initiatives (Kwan 2011). Walker
and Dimmock (2002) also discussed the culture of high power distance between primary
school principals and teachers and how this has affected the implementation of school
reform. Principals in many Hong Kong primary schools are expected to form decisions them-
selves with limited consultations with fellow school members. Existing norms within schools
also limit teachers’ willingness and involvement in discussions on school-level issues and
collective decision making. Principals have high expectation on harmonious relationship
between school staffs and within the community. There are also limited collaboration
between classroom teaching and learning and between schools. This has constraint teachers’
opportunities to be innovative and placed further barrier on implementing education reforms.
Leadership is closely linked to the display of values and culture, and local culture and
constitution have strong organizational effect on school management (Walker 2014). Future
professional development program in Hong Kong could focus more on empowering teachers
which would encourage teachers’ innovation and involvement in school-level decision mak-
ing. Walker (2004a) studied how the school leadership structures were shaped by constitution
and culture and how this has affected the empowerment of teachers. The article described the
struggle between reforms on constraining the involvement of school management committee
and the opposition from principals and school sponsoring bodies, and the differences between
the reform on encouraging more participation from teachers and parents and the traditional
hierarchical culture in Chinese societies. This argument was also supported by Leung and
Chan (2001), who stressed that hierarchical relationship between seniors and subordinates are
prominent in Chinese culture, which is very different from Western culture, which is
grounded on a contractual relationship and principal of equality. The largely hierarchical rela-
tionship between principals and teachers, not only discourage innovations from teachers, but
also limited the chances for parents to have bigger participation in school management.
Principal professional development in Hong Kong could focus on encouraging principals to
discuss on how to best manage the school in an innovative manner while adopting to the
traditional Chinese culture as well. As it is suggested that teachers often refuse to participate
in school decision making because of their heavy workload and the potential threat in
decreasing their quality of teaching, it is necessary for principals to be equipped with the
skills and mindset to balance the quality of teaching and learning and encouraging teachers’
professional development.

Professional Development Needs of Newly Appointed Principals

The then (Education and Manpower Bureau (2004) conducted a review in 2004 on the lead-
ership development program for NAPs and explore principals’ perceptions on which aspects
of the program have brought significant and positive impact on their professional develop-
ment. The program participants gain positively through the personal network gained and the
connections with experienced principals. The program for NAPs has encouraged the develop-
ment of school culture emphasizing on peer advices or experiences from long-serving
 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 367

principals. This review has also suggested stronger coherence within the program and involv-
ing more experienced principals to be mentors for the program (Kwan 2011). The school
management decentralization policy in recent year has influenced the leadership development
program. It is also found that the program has contributed positively to school performance
(Kwan 2011). The school leader community has also contributed to the design of this pro-
gram, as opposed to having the government solely set an inflexible framework. Other aca-
demic research or reports on the program show that newly appointed principals want to learn
practically and academically through the program (Cheung 2004), and they valued highly the
personal discussion with experienced principals (Walker and Dimmock 2002;
Walker 2004b).
Various articles have discussed the professional development needs of newly appointed
principals and have identified features significant to Hong Kong leadership development pro-
gram. Wong (2005) summarized eight closely related features from the literature that are
believed to be most significant in leadership development program in the Hong Kong con-
text. Walker, Chan, and Wong (2005) also identified nine key features for successful school
leadership program. These studies found that principals generally have a positive perception
on how the program has contributed to their professional development. Principals appreciated
the opportunities to reflect and valued the social network they have gained. Beginning princi-
pals are able to learn from experienced principals through knowing about new ideas and
modeling different leadership roles. Program content is recommended to be closely related to
the practices and local school context of the beginning principals. Walker , Chan, and Wong
encouraged principals to learn continuously, have a personalized learning design, and
develop a supportive and collaborative environment for learning. Keung (2007) also sup-
ported the use of group work and training they suggested an enhanced connection between
pedagogical theory and principals’ daily practice and an introduction to international best
practices in principals’ training content. In addition, Ng and Szeto (2016) found that newly
appointed principals need to have the human resource management and administration cap-
acity to successfully lead the school. They need to have the skills to empower middle school
leaders and help low-performing staff, manage school finance, handling legal issues, and
lead school curriculum and perform instructional leadership. It is also supported that peer
networking and mentors’ help during professional development could provide support and
helpful experience for newly appointed principals. This literature shows that principals have
gained significantly from experienced principals as mentors, peer networking, opportunities
to reflect, and having a supportive and collaborative environment for learning. They should
also be equipped with the necessary resource management and administration capacity to
meet the needs of current education reform and the changing school context.

University-Central Authority-Leader Partnership

Many of the principals’ professional development programs in Hong Kong are implemented
under the school–university partnership setting. The relationship between central authorities,
universities and leaders are important to their roles in strengthening principal leadership
development program (Walker 2015). It is suggested that school-based leadership training
program are more superior to program which is only confined in university classrooms
368 CHINESE EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

(Grogan et al. 2009). Literature (Barnett, Copeland, and Shoho 2009) also found that school
leaders in international context favor the mentoring program led by experienced leaders. In
current Hong Kong context, newly appointed principals can engage in internship or partner-
ship program with another school. This could allow leaders to engage in more real-life learn-
ing experiences and recognize the importance of building professional relationship. On the
other hand, experienced principals as mentors within the programs could gain and develop
professionally (Lopez-Real and Kwan 2005). The mentors have a positive perceptions of the
program and a dominating percentage of respondents reflected the benefits gained from men-
toring others. The research result also further implied the significance of learning through
self-reflection on the effectiveness of professional development programs. Walker stressed
that there are not sufficient research on the relationship and roles of university-central author-
ity-leader partnership in advancing school principals’ professional development in inter-
national context. As Hong Kong is one of the regions which has adopted this setting to train
beginning principals, it would be beneficial to conduct further investigation on the partner-
ship structure.

Principals’ Influence on School Performance and Teachers’ Professional Development

International research stressed that principal leadership is one of the most significant factor
in influencing school performance (Leithwood, Harris, and Hopkins 2008). Literature on
Hong Kong schools has explored how principals contributed to difference in academic
achievement between schools (Walker, Lee, and Bryant 2014). It is found that schools having
transparent structure and efficient communication have higher academic achievement.
However, schools which focus on quality assurance and accountability in resource manage-
ment have negative effects on students’ academic achievement. Walker and Kwan (2008)
also found that the leadership development programs for NAPs are effective in providing
principals with the support system, information databank, professional network, and emo-
tional support. Wong (2005) also found that after attending the leadership development pro-
gram, Hong Kong principals were able to gain a wider perspective on their leadership roles
and obtain enhanced confidence. Future principal professional development programs should
take careful consideration of these research results and engaging in meaningful discussions
with beginning principals about factors that could contribute to positive school performance.
Designer of professional development program could also utilize various support system or
network to help beginning principals with their new leadership roles.
Moreover, literature in the Hong Kong context has stressed the importance of the role of
principals in assisting teachers’ professional development during preservice training and
within the first few months of their principalship (Lee, Walker, and Bodycott 2000). Walker
and Ko (2011) also found that principals who focused more on teachers’ or senior staffs’ pro-
fessional development could increase the level of alignment within the school on government
education policies. These studies have highlighted the importance of principals’ role in assist-
ing teacher and senior staff professional development. Future researchers designing principal
professional development programs in Hong Kong should take consideration of this leader-
ship responsibility.
 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 369

CONCLUSION

We have reviewed the context, challenges, and opportunities of Hong Kong school principal
professional development. The education reform in Hong Kong in recent years has shaped
aspiring principals’ professional learning and preparation for principalship. The changing
environment for school has imposed new challenges for principals and implied different
development pathways for principals’ continuing professional development. We have pro-
posed suggestions on five areas for future advancement of principal professional develop-
ment. It is suggested that vice principals could be prepared for principalship through
involving in school strategic planning, education policy implementation, and leadership train-
ing, and empowering teachers’ professional development. Moreover, under the traditional
Chinese culture, principal professional development in Hong Kong could focus on encourag-
ing teachers’ professional development. It is also found that principals have benefited signifi-
cantly through the process of learning from experienced principal mentors, peer networking,
opportunities to reflect, and partaking in a supportive and collaborative learning
environment.

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