Educational leadership and management : theory, policy, and practice

There is great interest in educational leadership in the early part of the 21st century because of the widespread belief that the quality of leadership makes a significant difference to school and student outcomes. There is also increasing recognition that schools require effective leaders and managers if they are to provide the best po ssible education for their learners. Schools need trained and committed teachers but they, in turn, need the leadership of highly effective principals and support from other senior and middle managers. While the need for eff ective lead ers is widely acknowledged, there is much less certainty about which leadership behaviours are most likely to produce favourable outcomes. I examine the theoretic al underpinnings for the fie ld of educational leadership and management, assess different leadership models, and discuss the evidence of their relative effectiveness in developing successfu l schools

Organisation theory in education: how does it inform school leadership?

Much of the literature treats organisation and leadership theories as distinct and unconnected but, in this paper, I argue that there are considerable overlaps between these two genres of theory. In particular, I seek to demonstrate that organisation and leadership theory can be analysed and compared using four central constructs: goals, structure, culture and context. In this paper, I begin by discussing the origins of organisation theory and then examine its characteristics through a discussion of the four constructs. The main school leadership models are examined and then linked to organisation theory through the four constructs. The paper concludes with an overview of the connections between leadership and organisation theory

Preparation and induction for school principals: global perspectives

This article will examine different international approaches to leadership preparation and induction, linked to concepts of socialization and identity. Although leadership is widely understood to be the second most important factor influencing student outcomes, principal preparation is neglected in many countries. A teaching qualification and teaching experience are often considered to be sufficient attributes for new principals. The article will argue that being a principal is a different role from classroom teaching and requires specific preparation. This involves three phases of socialization. First, aspiring leaders require professional socialization, preparing to become a principal. Second, they need to change their identity, from teacher to principal. Third, they need a period of organizational socialization, learning to lead in a specific school. The article will draw on international research and literature to consider the experience of new principals in different settings. It will also examine examples of preparation and induction in several settings to establish what works effectively and in what contexts. It will also consider the role of mentoring in successful principal preparation and induction, bearing mind the need for induction to be an extended process, not a 'one-off' event. The article will conclude with a model for leadership preparation and induction, which could be applied in many places, subject to careful adaptation to fit the local culture and context

Organisation theory in education: how does it inform school leadership?

Much of the literature treats organisation and leadership theories as distinct and unconnected but, in this paper, I argue that there are considerable overlaps between these two genres of theory. In particular, I seek to demonstrate that organisation and leadership theory can be analysed and compared using four central constructs: goals, structure, culture and context. In this paper, I begin by discussing the origins of organisation theory and then examine its characteristics through a discussion of the four constructs. The main school leadership models are examined and then linked to organisation theory through the four constructs. The paper concludes with an overview of the connections between leadership and organisation theory

Instructional leadership in Greek and English outstanding schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine instructional leadership (IL) in outstanding secondary schools within a centralised (Greece) and a partially decentralised (England) education context. Design/methodology/approach – Since the purpose of the study is exploratory, the researchers adopt a qualitative approach, employing a series of four qualitative case studies with the purpose of examining the impact of IL on student learning, teachers’ professional growth and school improvement, using the interpretivist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews with various data sets (stakeholders) within and outside the school, observation of leadership practices and meetings, and scrutiny of relevant macro and micro policy documents are employed to enhance methodological and respondent triangulation. Findings – Recognising that IL is not confined to the principals’ leadership domain, a sense of shared and distributed leadership prevails in schools, while its implementation is inevitably linked to system constraints. The findings from the Greek schools link to the official expectations that principals operate as administrative rather than instructional leaders, while an unofficial instructional “teacher leadership” culture suggests potential for reconsidering leadership in Greek state schools. In contrast, the decentralisation of school activities creates the platform for the emergence of shared and distributed leadership within the English context, where school actors enact direct and indirect IL roles. Originality/value – This cross-country comparative study demonstrates theoretical significance in its focus on the collaborative and reciprocal nature of IL, while its empirical contribution lies in generating new knowledge on how IL is contextually bounded