Educational Leadership for Complex Times: Integrative Approaches for Flourishing Schools and Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Transformational leadership has long influenced how educational change is conceived and enacted (Karakose et al., 2024; Leithwood, 2021; Özdemir et al., 2024). Yet, as contemporary educational systems face growing complexity, inequity, and instability, the field has turned toward more integrative models of leadership that blend the visionary strengths of transformational leadership with relational, instructional, and evidence-informed practices (Karakose et al., 2024; Özdemir et al., 2023, 2024). This Special Issue invites contributions that reconceptualize educational leadership—both formal (e.g., principals, superintendents) and informal (e.g., teacher leaders)—as integrative, context-responsive practices that foster equity, innovation, and sustainable improvement. In line with Harris and Jones (2020), we are particularly interested in manuscripts that reflect how leadership is being redefined by ongoing disruption and complexity, and how leaders are responding in ways that are adaptive, collaborative, and innovative amid unpredictable and often chaotic conditions.

We welcome contributions that employ diverse theoretical lenses, including critical, Indigenous, feminist, complexity, and relational perspectives, and a range of methodological approaches, such as qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, and educational design-based research. Papers may focus on school, system, or network levels and may draw from local, national, or international contexts. We especially encourage submissions that challenge dominant paradigms and offer new insights into the integrative dimensions of educational leadership in an era defined by ongoing disruption, inequity, and possibility.

Suggested themes include (but are not limited to):

• Integrative approaches to educational leadership (e.g., transformational, distributed, instructional, and learning-centered leadership)
• Non-positional leadership and teacher agency
• Leadership for complexity and uncertainty
• Continuing professional learning for adaptive and collaborative leadership
• Research-practice partnerships for leading educational innovations
• Leadership and policy implementation for system reform
• Equity-oriented leadership (addressing wellbeing, belonging, and culturally sustaining practices)

References:

Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2020). COVID 19 – school leadership in disruptive times. School Leadership & Management, 40(4), 243–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2020.1811479.

Karakose, T., Leithwood, K., & Tülübaş, T. (2024). The intellectual evolution of educational leadership research: A combined bibliometric and thematic analysis using SciMAT. Education Sciences, 14(4), 429. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040429.

Leithwood, K. (2021). A review of evidence about equitable school leadership. Education Sciences, 11(8), 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080377.

Özdemir, N., Gümüş, S., Kılınç, A. Ç., & Bellibaş, M. Ş. (2024). A systematic review of research on the relationship between school leadership and student achievement: An updated framework and future direction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 52(5), 1020–1046. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221118662.

Özdemir, N., Gün, F., & Yirmibeş, A. (2023). Learning–centred leadership and student achievement: Understanding the mediating effect of the teacher professional community and parental involvement. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(6), 1301–1321. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211034167.

Dr. Barbara Brown
Dr. Sharon Friesen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• educational leadership
• integrative leadership
• teacher leadership
• adaptive leadership
• school leadership
• system leadership
• research-practice partnerships
• continuing professional learning
• policy implementation