Educational leadership….

An introduction is presented in which it discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the implications for leadership training, the exclusionary practices of educational leadership, and the standards for performance

Collaborative School Leadership in a Global Society: A critical perspective’

The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Educational Management Administration & Leadership, February 2018, published by SAGE Publishing, All rights reserved.In the context of evolving global challenges and opportunities, this article explores the kind of leadership that moves beyond the philosophy of dependence which pervades many of the everyday assumptions of educational leadership practice. The article argues for educational leadership that places relational freedom, self-determination, and critical reflexivity as the driving aim of distributed leadership by teachers, students and others in non-positional leadership roles. A project arising from the International Teacher Leadership initiative is examined in order to offer practical illustration.Peer reviewe

International Partnerships: A Model for Educational Organizations

Opportunities exist for faculty and students within educational leadership preparation programs to participate in international initiatives within developing countries. One way to do this is through collaboration with organizations that already have an established presence in the country. Working within these organizations provides opportunities for learning and research for the educational leadership program. If done well, such work also helps host organizations meet their mission and goals. An understanding of effective behaviors in international partnerships may benefit educational leadership programs that develop these types of service opportunities. The behaviors mirror the scholar-practitioner philosophy, of which some prominent educational leadership programs adhere, through addressing pragmatic needs within a local context

Hearts-on Approach to Educational Leadership

Christian educational leaders come equipped with an arsenal of skills, talents, and beliefs rooted in their faith. The synthesis of faith in their daily lives or “hearts-on” approach provides them a solid foundation. Communication is the most important skill for an effective leader. This article provides an overview of the critical elements of communication and their potential impact upon educational leadership. Several communication styles and strategies are discussed and clarified by biblically-inspired directives

Educational Leadership in Haiti: A Case Study of Innovative and Exemplary Leadership in a Fragile State

In this study, we consider three school leaders in Haiti who provide examples of innovative and exemplary leadership practices in the midst of challenging circumstances. Using a framework of innovative (Moolenaar, Daly, & Sleeger, 2010; Rogers, 2003) and exemplary leadership practices (Kouzes & Posner, 2006), we examine three themes that emerged from interviews with the three participants, observations of their work in the field, and interviews with other educational stakeholders in their communities. We raise considerations for leadership practices that include: The importance of social and professional networks, barriers and opportunities to innovative practice, and collaborations involving community, regional, national, and international partners. The paper provides suggestions for further exploration in examining educational leadership in fragile states such as Haiti

Educational Leadership in Haiti: A Case Study of Innovative and Exemplary Leadership in a Fragile State

In this study, we consider three school leaders in Haiti who provide examples of innovative and exemplary leadership practices in the midst of challenging circumstances. Using a framework of innovative (Moolenaar, Daly, & Sleeger, 2010; Rogers, 2003) and exemplary leadership practices (Kouzes & Posner, 2006), we examine three themes that emerged from interviews with the three participants, observations of their work in the field, and interviews with other educational stakeholders in their communities. We raise considerations for leadership practices that include: The importance of social and professional networks, barriers and opportunities to innovative practice, and collaborations involving community, regional, national, and international partners. The paper provides suggestions for further exploration in examining educational leadership in fragile states such as Haiti

Educational Leadership for Results or for Learning? Contrasting Directions in Times of Transition

Educational leadership, like educational systems and schooling, is steered by the national political, professional and social contexts in which it occurs. In recent years, managerialist values have informed the policies of many governments and “new public management” challenges the ideals of “progressive humanistic leadership” in schools in many countries. The former approach is driven by results and demands for accountability whereas the latter favours an holistic, child-centred approach to leadership in which educational leaders at both system and school levels adopt a proactive, empowering and participative approach based on humane values of personal and organisational learning. Newly professionalised educational managers in the transforming systems of central and east Europe face the difficult task of reconciling these two differing directions. Scholars, researchers and developers of educational leadership have a key role to play in helping to deepen understanding of the dilemmas created by these contradictory trends.

Critical Practice Leadership in Post-compulsory Education

This article questions why leaders in post-compulsory education tend not to view leadership research positively or utilise it in improving their practice. Drawing on the theoretical literature of educational management and leadership, and the current political and economic context of post-compulsory education, it proposes a new direction of critical practice leadership informed by advanced practitioner research. Challenging assumptions about leadership practice and leadership research creates opportunity for an ethical and practical perspective for leadership practitioners, and a distinctive contribution to the field of leadership theory and research by resisting the false dualism between theory and practice

What makes useful evidence for educational leadership practice? An interview

An interview with Eric Addae-Kyeremeh about his views on the pressing question ‘What makes useful evidence for educational leadership practice?’ as advice for leaders in educational settings

Individual leader to interdependent leadership: A case study in leadership development and tripartite evaluation

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. Copyright @ 2013 Sage Publications.The Problem - In this case study we see a move away from orthodox views of school leadership as “headship” to a more contemporary model of educational leadership wherein we note a departure from functional, curricula-based school leadership toward more human resource development (HRD) approaches. The aim of this study was to consider the effectiveness of an educational development program for middle leaders within an educational establishment. The Solution - We examined the impact of a bespoke higher education leadership development intervention in Leadership (and Change) on the formation and cohesiveness of a newly formed innovative leadership structure. The Stakeholders - The leadership development intervention was designed through a tripartite collaboration including a university, senior school leaders, and staff. The intervention was designed to shift leadership from individual leader agency to interdependent human leadership agency. Through tripartite evaluation we uncover leadership development praxis that transcends the boundaries of conventional educational leadership and reemphasizes the benefits of bridging the academic/practitioner divide and the application of theory to praxis