Joint principalship: a potential support for democratic practice in schools

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the apparent loss of potential for enhancing democratic practice in schools. The findings of previous research about joint principalship stand in contrast to recent changes to the law that regulates the work of principals. Three examples of successful joint principalship were used as illustrations to illuminate how joint principals may support democratic practice by influencing teachers and pupils. In these examples, several qualities of the ways of working and their consequent achievements emerged: the coordinating process between the principals, productive sharing, role models, the importance of relationships and the focus on pedagogic issues. In each of the three examples, joint principalship was found to promote democratic practice by serving as a model of democratic cooperation. The conclusion is that the current Education Act weakens the possibility of achieving one of its own main goals – the ‘democracy assignment’ – by hindering the practice of joint principalship.