Search Results (23)

Interest in instructional leadership has grown dramatically in Asia since 2010. This systematic state-of-the-art review analyzed the evolution of analytical models, research methods, and findings in Asian studies of instructional leadership that employed the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS). The authors applied content analysis to 349 Asian instructional leadership studies sourced from multiple digital databases. The publication of Asia-based studies of instructional leadership increased from 47 before 2011 to 257 in the subsequent 15 years. Our analysis of 302 quantitative and mixed methods studies found that Asian scholars have primarily employed univariate and direct effects models in their instructional leadership studies, a limitation for knowledge advancement. At the same time, the use of advanced multivariate analytical models increased from 2.1% of the literature before 2011 to 23.3% in the subsequent period. Analysis of 20 “state-of-the-art studies” found a consistent pattern of significant mediated and direct effects of instructional leadership on teacher attitudes and practices. Moreover, several well-designed studies found that a school’s cultural context moderated the effects of instructional leadership on teaching and learning. Findings from the state-of-the-art review highlight the relationship between analytical models, variable selection, and research methods in studies that advance knowledge. Full article

Background/Purpose: In an increasingly competitive educational landscape, the school principal’s role has expanded beyond instructional leadership to include strategic marketing responsibilities. Yet the role of marketing in school leadership remains underexplored. Our objective was to investigate how Greek secondary school principals perceive marketing’s key dimensions (Customer Orientation, Competitor Orientation, and Inter-Functional Coordination) within schools, in comparison to other school staff members. Design/Methodology: A cross-sectional survey design was employed, collecting data using a structured questionnaire adapted from Oplatka and Hemsley-Brown. The sample comprised 350 respondents, including school principals and teaching staff. One-way ANOVA, supplemented by Games–Howell and Kruscall–Wallis tests, was employed to examine group differences across the three dimensions of market orientation. Results: Our findings indicate that principals demonstrate a higher level of Customer Orientation than other staff. However, no significant differences were found in Competitor Orientation or Inter-Functional Coordination across roles. Conclusions/Novelty: The findings suggest that while principals play a key role in aligning school functions and engaging with internal stakeholders, their sensitivity to external competition remains limited. The study highlights the evolving nature of school leadership while showing that marketing strategies in Greek schools are insufficiently implemented, calling for research into how leadership training can enhance market responsiveness. Full article

This study examines how primary school principals navigate and influence curriculum reform through instructional leadership. Using a qualitative approach, data were gathered from semi-structured interviews and structured observations with three purposefully selected principals, guided by the Principal Instructional Management model. Interview questions focused on three core areas—developing the school mission, managing the instructional program, and fostering a positive school climate—allowing principals to share insights on their leadership strategies, challenges, and engagement in curriculum reform. Observations captured real-time practices, such as classroom visits, teacher interactions, and feedback sessions, to provide a comprehensive view of their instructional leadership roles. Thematic analysis revealed that principals actively shape school missions by integrating personal beliefs, educational agendas, and curriculum policy knowledge. They engage in reflective practices such as meetings and retreats to reinforce the school’s vision among teachers, manage instructional programs through routine and random checks, motivate teachers with positive feedback, and promote a positive climate by supporting social cohesion and addressing teachers’ personal needs. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of instructional leadership, where principals balance personal convictions with policy-driven mandates. Recommendations include targeted professional development and formal policy recognition of instructional leadership to empower principals in leading reform efforts. Full article

The role of the school principal has garnered international significance. When it comes to student learning outcomes, the effectiveness of the principal has been recognized as being more important than the effectiveness of a single teacher. Studies also highlight the role school leadership plays in fostering equity and social justice practices in schools and communities. Yet only a small body of research exists on how to prepare leaders to lead for equity. In this paper, we will describe, analyze, and reflect on the components of one school leadership preparation program’s (SLLP’s) candidate assessment system (CAS), which guided the selection of equity-centered leadership candidates for a cohort program in a university–district partnership. We applied a qualitative content analysis to the documents we utilized to select aspiring equity-centered leaders through the program’s redesigned CAS. Our findings revealed that the content and process of the program’s CAS was aligned with many tenets of equity-centered leadership, specifically in CAS documents and in the involvement of a broad group of constituencies and partners during the design and implementation of CAS. We also uncovered a new finding outside of our framework: an emphasis on instructional leadership in our CAS documents as a key component of leading for equity. This study is likely to inform other SLPPs intending to select leadership candidates who will have the capacity to lead for equity. Full article

This manuscript presents a comprehensive analysis of NC State University’s redesigned principal preparation program, emphasizing its alignment with state and national leadership standards, innovative curriculum, and commitment to practical application. The program’s redesign addresses long-standing criticisms of traditional university-based leadership preparation, such as the disconnect between theory and practice, by incorporating data-driven instructional leadership, equity-focused training, and collaborative community engagement. Additionally, this article explores the role of specialized internships, full-time residencies, and the integration of technology in training future principals. The program’s success is demonstrated by improved principal placement, school outcomes, and teacher retention—particularly in high-need schools. Finally, the manuscript discusses the future of leadership preparation, highlighting the potential of artificial intelligence to further enhance decision-making, personalized professional development, and administrative efficiency, while addressing ethical considerations such as data privacy and equity. Full article

National school leadership standards are now de facto curriculum for preparation programs. Data use is embedded throughout standards to guide school improvement and classroom instruction. Yet, across a number of areas, pre-service principals do not appear ready to lead once in the field. Principals are responsible for using various data to guide internal policies, school cultures, and capacity building, largely supporting teachers by establishing norms, expectations, and clear visions for data use in instructional decisions. In this study, we examined leadership preparation programs in one U.S. state to understand how data use is addressed in leader preparation. Our analysis of course description, syllabi, and program director interview data resulted in the following findings: (1) programs and courses seldom explicitly acknowledged data use as a topic; (2) when data use was acknowledged as a topic, it was infrequently tied to standards; (3) connections between data use and instructional change were limited; and (4) most programs relied on internships for leadership preparation programs to learn data use practices. There are opportunities for programs to make connections between standards, data use, and instructional improvement more explicit, as well as to clarify expectations for and increase oversight of field-based mentors. Full article

Leadership in rural schools is well studied. However, few studies have investigated how teacher leadership influences rural teacher job satisfaction, burnout, and attrition. This study aimed to fill the research gap by analyzing data from the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), focusing on U.S. rural teachers. Using a sample of approximately 8910 rural teachers selected through a two-stage sampling process, this research examines the associations between teacher leadership, teacher wellbeing, and their intent to leave. The survey, administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), included measures of teacher leadership (instructional and non-instructional), job satisfaction, burnout, and intent to leave. The authors found that (a) rural teachers with higher levels of teacher leadership reported higher levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of burnout, (b) rural teachers with higher levels of job satisfaction or lower levels of burnout are less likely to leave or move, and (c) instructional and particularly non-instructional teacher leadership are indirectly linked to teacher intent to leave or move through job satisfaction and burnout. The discussions, conclusions, and implications for school policy and school leadership are presented. Full article

In Japan, there is almost no national policy that details the attributes and abilities desirable for school management staff. However, in March 2023, Toda City in Saitama prefecture, a city famous for its aggressive education reforms, published the Toda City School Management Rubric (SMR) as perspectives to be referred to in the daily practice of school management through a time-consuming hearing from principals and vice principals. By categorizing each dimension of the rubric itself as well as the documents relating to the creation process with the four school leadership styles, while making a comparison to school leadership standards in the U.S. and U.K., this paper aims to illuminate how the magic words of “school leadership” were turned into concrete perspectives for school leaders to reflect on. As a result, there are similarities and differences among leadership standards in three countries. Moreover, a transformational leadership style seems to be the most frequently mentioned among the four school leadership styles, and many of the principals and vice principals referred to instructional leadership in a sense that they need to take a lead in transforming traditional teacher-led instruction into student-centered learning. Furthermore, a distributed leadership style is considered to be important by many school leaders, especially because they continue to seek an appropriate balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches, and some principals and vice principals take the issue of work style reform seriously, which assumes an aspect of transactional leadership. As an arguably unprecedented attempt to comprehensively analyze the detailed policy documents on school leadership in Japan, this article will provide cross-cultural implications for school leadership policy and practice. Full article

This study aims to describe the century-long trajectory of educational leadership research (ELR), including changes over time in its main and subsidiary themes, as well as its most influential authors, papers, and journals. The study combines the bibliometric performance and science mapping analysis of 7282 articles retrieved from the Scopus and WoS databases. SciMAT software (version 1.1.04) was used to analyze changes over four sequential time periods and to exhibit the thematic evolution of the field—Period 1 (1907 to 2004), Period 2 (2005 to 2012), Period 3 (2013 to 2019), and Period 4 (2020–2023). Research during Period 1 focused on principals and included efforts to distinguish between their administrative functions and forms of ‘strong’ leadership contributing to school improvement. Period 2 included research aimed at understanding what strong principal leadership entailed, including the development and testing of more coherent models of such leadership. While instructional and transformational leadership models were prominent during Periods 1 and 2, Period 3 research invested heavily in conceptions of leadership distribution. Early research about ‘social justice leadership’ appeared during this period and eventually flourished during Period 4. While principals were an active focus through all Periods, the leadership of others gradually dominated ELR and accounted for the broader leadership theme found in all four periods. The results point to the evolutionary nature of ELR development, which eventually produced a relatively robust knowledge base. Experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that crises such as this might prompt more revolutionary orientations in the ELR field. Full article

The educational landscape has been significantly influenced by the rapid development of technology, especially in the instructional process. Examining teachers’ professional digital competence (TPDC) in Indonesia, a developing country, is of utmost importance. It is vital to comprehend the extent of professional digital competence among teachers to identify potential gaps and areas for improvement through training programs. This investigation aims to shed light on disparities and formulate strategies to bridge the digital divide. In this context, the principal’s instructional e-supervision (PIS) and technology leadership (PTL) play a pivotal role in nurturing a school’s digital culture (SDC). This culture is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of the collaborative learning process that meets the needs of students in this digital-savvy era. Therefore, this study delves into the structural impact of PIS and PTL on TPDC mediated by SDC. Quantitative methods were employed to address research hypotheses through structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with AMOS, utilizing inner and outer model techniques. Carried out in seven senior high schools in Indonesia, the research involved 257 productive teachers randomly selected from a population of 450. The findings revealed that PIS directly influences TPDC, albeit with the most negligible coefficient (0.192). Simultaneously, PTL directly impacts SDC (0.663) and TPDC (0.229). Moreover, SDC significantly influences TPDC (0.816). However, the direct coefficient of PTL has a more substantial impact on SDC than on TPDC. Consequently, the structural model suggests that PTL will profoundly influence TPDC when mediated by SDC (0.541). In light of these results, this study recommends the application of principal technology leadership-based humbleness for future research. Full article

Principal instructional leadership (PIL) is significant for school effectiveness due to its direct and indirect influences on school-, teacher-, and student-level variables. A considerable number of studies have provided persuasive evidence that PIL is associated with both collective efficacy (CEF) and teacher self-efficacy (TSEF), two significant variables to sustain the quality of instruction. These studies were conducted with a variety of participants from various contexts. The current study aims to investigate the association between PIL and TSEF, and the mediating role of CEF in this association using meta-analytical structural equation modeling (MASEM). This analysis was conducted using the correlation values obtained from 26 studies focusing on their relationship and included data from a population of 19.584 participants from around the world, thus providing a more generalizable perspective on these variables. The results indicated that PIL was correlated with both CEF and TSEF, and the combined influence of PIL and CEF on TSEF was 31%. The study findings also showed that the scales used to measure PIL could produce different results regarding these relationships, while gender did not have a significant effect. These results suggest significant implications for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to sustain school effectiveness in the fast-changing context of schools in the twenty-first century. Full article

This study explores the experiences, practices and perceptions of primary school principals currently leading autism classes in Ireland. Autism classes in mainstream primary schools are becoming increasingly common in the Irish education system. The prevalence of autism classes highlights the importance of their role in enabling autistic children to attend mainstream schools. It reflects the increasing number of autistic pupils who require these specialised placements. Primary schools serve all children. It is essential that autistic children are supported in the best way possible so they can reach their full potential. The principal has a pivotal role in all aspects of his or her school, including leading the autism classes. Given the centrality of their role, it is imperative that the principal is supported by the best practices and theory available. This study sought to give the principals time to reflect on their inclusive leadership and decipher what it meant for them in their lived experience and context. Theories of leadership through a socio-cultural lens frame the overall study. A qualitative research design was adopted using semi-structured interviews with 15 primary school principals. Analysis of the data was conducted using a reflective thematic analysis approach. Findings of the research reveal that there are particular leadership styles that align with an inclusive leadership approach. These styles are distributed leadership, transformational leadership and instructional leadership. A positive disposition towards inclusion is an important factor in the principal’s perceptions of their leadership. The idea of inclusionary leadership is borne out of the study. This term indicates that leaders striving for inclusion in their schools do not view it as a destination to be reached but rather a long-term journey they travel. This research is a pathway for further study in the field. It has implications for pupils, principals, school communities and policy makers regarding the value of the work of inclusionary leaders. All participants referred to in this paper have been given two letter pseudonyms to protect their identity. Full article

Despite the clear worldwide school inclusion initiative, translating the widely embraced notions of inclusive education into differentiated teaching practice has been recognized as a common difficulty. Based on replies from 780 educators in inclusive schools in Beijing, China, this study explored how distributed leadership contributes to teachers’ use of differentiated teaching, the mediation role of teacher leadership for inclusion, and teachers’ professional competencies of inclusive education. The results suggest that principals’ distributed leadership directly influences teachers’ employment of differentiated instruction. Teacher leadership for inclusion and professional competencies of inclusive education play a serial mediating role in the relationship between distributed principalship and teachers’ use of differentiated instruction. Implications for implementing inclusive practices were further discussed. Full article

This article draws on findings from a secondary analysis of selected U.S. case studies of successful school principals in the United States. All original ISSPP cases were selected with a common sampling strategy whereby we purposely selected schools with improved student outcomes and nominations by school district leaders and organizations. Data sources include semi-structured qualitative interviews with the district leaders, principal, teachers, parents, and students to provide a more elaborated understanding of the phenomena, i.e., school success and the principal’s leadership contribution. The study selected twenty published articles describing complete ISSPP case studies from different U.S. geographic areas for secondary analysis of the principal’s core leadership practices. These practices include setting directions, developing people, redesigning the organization, and managing the instructional program. The U.S. cases since 2002 reflect the dynamics of multiple layers of influence and increasing complexities from student diversity, policy pressures, and the impact of the principals’ background and professional identity. These cases provide qualitative, contextualized understandings of school success and principal contributions to that success at particular points in time over the past 20 years and point toward knowledge gaps that we seek to fill in future steps of ISSPP. Full article

High standards are required to succeed in the state upper secondary school system and many challenges have to be met. School principals with their leadership experience and practices are key actors to ensure the achievement of these goals. The study aims to find out Estonian state- operated upper secondary school principals’ understandings of their leadership practices and supporting factors of their work. The data were collected with semi-structured interviews with eight school leaders. They were analysed with directed content analysis and leadership practices were analysed in four dimensions: setting directions; building relationships and developing people; developing the organisation to support desired practices; improving instructional programmes. An inductive approach was used to analyse data to explore the supporting factors. The findings showed that principals followed all dimensions of successful leadership practices. An important dimension appeared to be building relationships with students and teachers. The main concern in their work regarding school improvement challenges was teachers’ workload. Principals saw the strength in having trustworthy and supporting relationships with the operator and being part of the state upper secondary school network. It would be recommended to systematically assess and develop the leadership competencies of school leaders along the dimensions of successful leadership and to closely address the professionalism and support of the school operator, because it was identified by school leaders as an important factor influencing their work. Full article