School Leadership Development Research Articles

Leadership in business schools: Contributions from traditional leadership approaches

For many years, leadership in universities and business schools has been investigated and explored (see Thomas 2011). Many changes and new requirements from a variety of stakeholders have arisen. For instance, there has been an increased focus on impact from the state, companies, and organizations and a greater need to obtain external funding for research projects. Additionally, current debates regarding sustainability and digitalization and the prevalence of mission-based research have made it necessary to revisit the challenges inherent in leading universities and business schools. It is relevant to revisit traditional approaches to leadership to explore how these concepts and factors can inspire the development of business school leadership.
 This article is not a comprehensive literature review of the leadership differences that business schools face. Rather, we present recent literature on leadership in business schools that, in combination with our own experiences as part of a management team in a newly established business school in Denmark, showcases the contemporary challenges faced in business school leadership. We use traditional leadership approaches to discuss how business school leadership can benefit from these approaches to confront new challenges and requirements.

An Analysis of Virtual Professional Development for School Leaders During COVID-19

As a major component of leadership development, professional development (PD) support needs more researchers to focus on possible ways to build school leaders’ instructional capacity. Despite the increasing use of virtual professional development (VPD) as venues for leadership development, little is known about the essential components of an effective VPD. With the advent of COVID-19, we pivoted to VPD focused on improving school principals’ abilities to help teachers increase their instructional capacity. More specifically, we provided a virtual Summer Leadership Institute (VSLI) on peer coaching via VPD. Since research on effective PD calls for school leaders to translate their learning into leadership practice, we addressed in our sequential explanatory mixed methods study how practicing school leaders in the United States perceived the effectiveness of VPD on school leaders’ professional knowledge and growth related to the VPD topic of peer coaching. We conclude with seven specific principles to consider when developing and providing such a VPD experience for school leaders.

School leader development with action learning

ABSTRACT This case study measures the impact on elements of schools’ professional environment after school leaders participated in eight action learning (AL) sessions over one summer. The guiding research question asks, What, if any, impact on a building level administrator’s leadership practices result after their participation in an Action Learning program? Data collection and analysis were structured to focus on the impact collaborative environmental factors perceived by teachers following their respective administrator’s participation in the AL program. Outcomes measured include Perceived School-Leader Support (PSLS), Actual Participation in Decision Making, Satisfaction with Participation in Decision Making, and Formalization of Participation in Decision Making. These factors were measured with a survey before summer and four months after the last AL session. Additional analyses of two more factors include Teacher’s Orientation Toward Student Performance and Teacher Collaboration. Using Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s (2016) model for program evaluation, these measures serve as leading indicators toward desired results. Findings of the Related Samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank test only found a significant, positive difference from pre to post survey for PSLS.

The Development of Albanian School Principals: A Challenge to Avoid Old Concepts and Value the Importance of Development

The school principal is the driving force behind the culture and performance of a school and directly influences the teachers and students. However, the development of school leaders remains problematic even after 30 years of education system reforms in Albania. This paper primarily seeks to demonstrate the importance of forming a generation of effective school administrators and universities’ critical role in accomplishing this goal. Particular attention should be paid to overcoming the lingering mentalities of the communist system, which are unresponsive to the demand for professionals who can lead in challenging and uncertain times. Using deductive thematic analysis and the categories that resulted from the coding process, such as “leader characteristics” and “leader’s formation models,” to interpret Albanian official education documents from during and after its communist dictatorship, results were obtained that support the importance of universities in meeting school leaders’ training needs and providing them with professional qualifications. The results show that the cultural influences of communism affect the current leadership model in Albania and leadership training policies should utilize higher education, as the best and most efficient means to overcome the lingering influences of communism.

Professional Development of School Leaders In Supporting Effective Teaching And Learning In The Shiselweni Region, Eswatini

The study investigated how professional development of school leaders may support effective teaching and learning in the Shiselweni region of Eswatini. This was achieved through the following research objectives; to identify skills that school leaders have gained through professional development in their efforts to support teaching and learning activities; to determine how teachers perceived school leaders support as a result of their professional development for quality teaching and learning; to examine the challenges faced by school leaders as they transfer the skills gained through professional development and; to ascertain strategies for effective professional development which in turn supports teaching and learning. Using the mixed method approach, data was collected through interviews and questionnaires. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data and SPSS version 20 package was used to calculate frequencies and percentages which were used to analayse quantitative data. The findings of the study revealed the following; (1) School leaders acquire relevant managerial skills through professional development like instructional leadership, financial, personnel and organizational management. (2) There is a general agreement that school leaders empower teachers through in house and teacher training workshops. (3) School leaders are challenged in many ways such as financial constraints, limited resources and teachers’ resistance to change. (4) If properly trained and using a more structured approach, schools would benefit from instructional leadership, peer supervision of school leaders, performance appraisals and wellness programmes. The study recommended that (1) MoET should develop a policy on professional development of school leaders and teachers for more accountability on what has been gained. (2) There is need for a content-focused curriculum linked to effective teaching and learning. (3)Schools must develop their own capacity to learn through couching, mentoring, adopt to change and SLOs approach. (4) Shared leadership and collaboration at different levels of the school system should be encouraged as strategies for enhancing effective teaching and learning. Finally, it is recommended that INSET should conduct a needs assessment to ensure that the training is not ad-hoc and that the personnel should further their studies in institutions of higher learning.

The role of group coaching in developing leadership effectiveness in a business school leadership development programme

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the role of group coaching in developing leadership effectiveness within the context of a business school leadership development programme, which included both classroom facilitation and group coaching.Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a sequential, mixed-methods approach, combining a pre-programme and post-programme, 360-degree, multisource feedback instrument and in-depth interviews with South African women managers to assess changes in their leadership effectiveness.Findings/results: The results indicate that participants’ leadership effectiveness had changed significantly as a result of the programme. More specifically, the group coaching dimension appeared to play a role in developing personal competence, evidenced in participants’ enhanced sense of direction, self-awareness, self-confidence and relationship with their authentic self. It also appeared to facilitate the development of social competence, evidenced in participants’ enhanced understanding of, and relations with, others, as well as their ability to empower others. This was made possible by affording participants a psychologically safe place in which learning and growth could take place and by providing them with external inputs and feedback.Practical implications: The positive role played by group coaching in developing leadership effectiveness in a business school leadership development programme suggests that the learning approach could be replicated in other academic environments and in corporate settings.Originality/value: The framework that was developed suggests that group coaching can contribute to the building of personal and social competence in a leadership development programme. This framework may assist other practitioners to motivate for the inclusion of group coaching in their leadership development programmes.

Investigating the Relationships between Demographic Factors and School Principals’ Emotional Intelligence in Managing Change

Substantial research has revealed that the emotional intelligence of school leaders is crucial for the development of effective school leadership. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between demographic factors and Principal Change Leadership Emotional Intelligence (PCLEI) in the secondary schools of Malaysia. A total of 615 secondary school principals that were chosen using disproportionate stratified sampling method completed the on-line survey. The findings revealed that, i) PCLEI was reliably related to school type whereas school principals from different locations had no significant difference in their level of PCLEI; ii) PCLEI was not reliably related to both prior experience and on-the-job experience of school principals; and iii) instead of academic qualifications, PCLEI was reliably related to professional qualification. The study provides information and expands our understanding about the importance of the relationship between demographic factors and emotional engagement in enhancing school leaders’ capacity for change.

School Leadership Development Program on the Performance of Secondary School Heads

The research was conducted to find out the effect of school leadership development programs on the performance of secondary school heads. The major objectives of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of the school leadership development program on the professional and administrative development of secondary school heads. The study was qualitative in nature. The population of this study comprised all the heads of secondary schools in Pak pattan. Thus, all the headteachers of male and female public secondary schools were selected as a sample from each selected tehsil. For the purpose of qualitative data collection, ten senior teachers of secondary schools who were acting as the vice of the heads were taken as the sample. A structured interview was developed for data collection. The research recommended expanding the circle of the school leadership development program to the other school heads particularly the newly upgraded schools for the betterment of the whole public education sector.The study recommended planning and designing further training for those having less expertise and skill in the disciplines of service rules and information technology.

Using CliftonStrengthsTM for Professional Development: Recommendations for Practice

This article explores how a culture of strengths-based leadership can positively impact professional development for school site administrators. The strengths of school district administrators were measured through the administration of CliftonStrengths™ assessment. Themes that emerged were determined through the assessment and qualitative analysis of responses. A sample of convenience 50 principals and assistant principals from a public school district in Southern California participated in this research. The findings revealed that the common talent themes among school site administrators were relationship building, executing, influencer, and learner. This study supports future practices to enable human resources personnel to design targeted professional development for school site administrators. An analysis of a school administrator's strengths and personality traits is unique to each school district. The results support human resource professionals' efforts to determine personnel's future needs, including hiring and developing school leaders.

Military Experience and School Leadership Development in North Carolina

This phenomenological study explores six principals’ and assistant principals’ military experience and leadership development. The participants were purposefully selected based on being a principal or assistant principal and having a minimum of 4 years of military service as a Non-Commissioned Officer or Officer in any United States military branch. The participants, from two counties in North Carolina, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. The resulting themes were (a) accountability to family, superiors, subordinates; (b) the need for special programs aiding with transitions; and (c) Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) versus Military Training. The findings revealed that specific MOS did not influence the participants’ leadership development. However, military training influenced the leadership development from their military career to education leadership. This research extends previous investigations about military experience and principalship in the United States and Israel. The results are discussed, and recommendations for superintendents and local educational agencies are provided.

Career resilience and self-efficacy of Greek primary school leaders in times of socioeconomic crisis

PurposeThis paper investigates the levels of career resilience and self-efficacy of the principals of primary school units, identifies the relationship between them and determines the effect of the demographic elements of the sample on their career resilience and self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachThe convenient sample of this study was 165 principals from public schools across the prefecture of Central Macedonia. A total of 422 questionnaires were mailed to all principals of kindergarten and elementary schools, accompanied by a personal letter to inform them about the procedure and the purpose of the survey. A pilot survey took place to check the adequacy of and get feedback on the questionnaire. The questionnaire used in the study consisted of three parts: The Career Resilience Scale (CRS) by Kodama (2015), the Principal Self-Efficacy Scale (PSES) by Tschannen-Moran and Gareis (2004) and demographic questions.FindingsThe results of the survey showed that principals have high levels of career resilience and very high levels of self-efficacy. There are four factors that form the levels of career resilience: (a) problem-solving skills (b) social skills (c) interest in innovation and (d) optimism for the future. Demographic factors play a role in shaping career resilience as they affect two of the four factors. There are two factors that shape levels of self-efficacy: (a) self-efficiency in administration and (b) self-efficiency in moral leadership. Demographic factors play a role in shaping the factor of self-efficacy that refers to administration. Finally, there was a high positive correlation and a causal relationship between career resilience and self-efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsThe convenient sample used in the present study is a limiting factor, as it may not be representative of Greek primary school principals. Also, research is based on self-evaluation questionnaires, which may show a lack of objectivity, as the answers may reflect the personal worldviews of leaders and particular needs of educational institutions (Sarid, 2021). This fact may not allow us to generalize the results.Practical implicationsThe present study showed that resilience and self-efficacy have a causal relationship and that one enhances another, making their relation pivotal for a successful educational leadership. Regarding the professional development of school leaders, educational leadership training programs could be designed and offered by the Greek Ministry of Education (Dexter et al., 2020). Coaching programs and practices that help principals develop social skills, coping mechanisms, emotional capacities and confidence in one's knowledge should be widely introduced. Governments have to take the necessary initiative to ensure that, particularly in adverse contexts, education stimulate and nurture resilience and self-efficacy among citizens, by promoting appropriate lifelong learning programs and by ensuring the continuous training of employees (Renko et al., 2020).Social implicationsCareer resilience and self-efficacy ensures economic prosperity in times of crisis, globalization and rapid technology development and may be the best way to create strong and successful leaders. Coaching programs and practices that help principals develop social skills, coping mechanisms, emotional capacities and confidence in one's knowledge should be widely introduced. The results of the present research could prove helpful in developing strategic plans, building networks between organizations to improve communication and flow of information, through employee exchange programs.Originality/valueThis research, which combined career resilience and self-efficacy, took place for the first time in Greece. The CRS by Kodama (2015) was also used for the first time in Greek population.

Walking Our Evidence-Based Talk: The Case of Leadership Development in Business Schools

Academics have lamented that practitioners do not always adopt scientific evidence in practice, yet while academics preach evidence-based management (EBM), they do not always practice it. This paper extends prior literature on difficulties to engage in EBM with insights from behavioral integrity (i.e., the study of what makes individuals and collectives walk their talk). We focus on leader development, widely used but often critiqued for lacking evidence. Analyzing 60 interviews with academic directors of leadership centers at top business schools, we find that the selection of programs does not always align with scientific recommendations nor do schools always engage in high-quality program evaluation. Respondents further indicated a wide variety of challenges that help explain the disconnect between business schools claiming A but practicing B. Behavioral Integrity theory would argue these difficulties are rooted in the lack of an individually owned and collectively endorsed identity, an identity of an evidence-based leader developer (EBLD). A closer inspection of our data confirmed that the lack of a clear and salient EBLD identity makes it difficult for academics to walk their evidence-based leader development talk. We discuss how these findings can help facilitate more evidence-based leader development in an academic context.

School Leadership Master’s Program Enhancement through Cross-Border Collaboration between Assiut and Kuwait Schools of Education

Egypt and Kuwait are currently executing a large-scale transformation in the national education system. On such time, school leadership capacity building and development is crucial and fundamental. Therefore, the current research seeks to scrutiny leadership components presented in the Education Administration Master program offered in Assiut and Kuwait Faculties of Education to cross match the presented knowledge and competencies with international requirements of highly credited leadership master programs. A comparative analytical study was implemented to compare the leadership models presented in the Assiut and Kuwait master’s programs in educational administration. The intended outcome is to enhance the current master program offered in both faculties. 
 
 Received: 31 October 2021 / Accepted: 1 December 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

Sens pracy pedagogicznej a poczucie sprawstwa nauczycieli – szkolnych liderów. Relacja z pierwszej fazy projektu Erasmus+ Getting Heads Together

The Meaning of Pedagogical Work and the Teachers’- School Leaders’ Agency: a Summary of the First Phase of the Getting Heads Together Erasmus+ Project. The aim of the article is to present and to summarize the first phase of the Getting Heads Together (GHT) project, implemented under the Erasmus+ program in cooperation with seven institutions from five European countries. The aim of the project is to develop a transformational model for school leadership development, on the basis of which a school leadership development program will be created to support school leaders’ sense-making capability, a subject that has not been sufficiently included in school leadership developmental programs so far. The article briefly introduces the basic categories on which the development program will be based and their understanding in the context of the GHT projectIt indicates those elements of school reality addressed by the GHT project that may be related to teachers’ agency and self-efficacy.

A Phenomenological Exploration of School Leadership Development Programme: Improved Practices of School Leaders a Breakthrough Triumph in the Province of Punjab

The major driver of the phenomenology research was to explore the lived experiences of school heads about the School Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) in improved practices of leadership in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in public sector schools of Punjab. The sample of the study was based on the geographical distribution of the province of Punjab i.e., central, southern and northern. The seven districts were taken, and 14 SHs were selected through purposive sampling. The in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted after the prior consent of the participants. The instruments were self-developed and validated from five experts along with Mock interview practice. The researcher collected the data personally, and thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that SLDP is inseparable in the development of improved practices of SHs. It was strongly recommended to continue the SLDP encased with certain paraphernalia to get better results in the future.

Relationship between the Adherence to National Competency-Based Standards and the Professional Profile of School Heads in Northern Samar, Philippines

A descriptive study sought to determine the school heads’ adherence to the national competency-based standards and its relationship to the professional profile of the school heads in the Division of Northern Samar was done. This study used the descriptive-correlational research design which the questionnaire was patterned from studies on leadership and National Competency-Based Standards for School Heads (NCBS-SH) TDNA tool. Elementary schools were proportionally sampled by district/municipality while secondary schools were proportionally sampled by legislative districts of the province of Northern Samar. The respondents answered a survey questionnaire developed from the standards of Department of Education. This study found out that most of the school heads have earned master’s degree, are principal’s test passers, had more than 10 years of administrative and supervisory experience and had limited number of exposures to trainings. All the indicators of leadership skills were very highly observed. On the test of relationship between the professional profile of the school heads and their adherence to National Competency-Based Standards, administrative and supervisory experience and NCBS-SH domains on school leadership, instructional leadership, HR management and professional development were found to be significantly correlated. Also, administrative, and supervisory trainings attended and NCBS-SH domains on school leadership, instructional leadership, HR management and professional development were found to be significantly correlated. Respondents’ leadership skills and NCBS-SH domains, leadership skills have significant correlation to all the NCBS-SH domains. From the test of relationship between the professional profile of the school heads and the school performance, only eligibility and administrative and supervisory experience are significantly correlated to SBM level of practice. The test of relationships between school heads’ adherence to national competency-based standards and school performance, the school leadership is significantly correlated to SBM level of practice.

Developing School Leaders: Findings From a Randomized Control Trial Study of the Executive Development Program and Paired Coaching

Principals are the second-largest school-based contributor to K–12 students’ academic progress. However, there is little research evaluating whether efforts to develop principals’ skills improve school effectiveness. We conducted randomized controlled trial studies of the impacts of a professional development program called the Executive Development Program (EDP) and of the incremental effects of coaching to help principals implement the EDP curriculum. We find that the EDP alone influenced principals’ practices, but not student achievement, within 3 years. Coaching had a small positive effect on students’ English Language Arts achievement, but no effect on math achievement or on principals’ practices. Coaching had the largest effects in disadvantaged schools. We hypothesize that coaching enhanced the quality of implementation of recommended practices.

The Importance of Context in Social Justice Leadership: Implications for Policy and Practice

<p style="text-align:justify">This article contributes to the evidence base on the significance of context in enacting social justice leadership. It draws on data from the International School Leadership Development Network of 20+ countries who adopted a common qualitative approach involving interviews with principals identified as being social justice leaders. The article focuses on four case studies of Irish principals in varying primary elementary school contexts. Findings reveal local contextual features significantly impacted principals' perceptions, actions, and self-efficacy as social justice leaders. While the actions and motivation of the principals is similar, two of the principals, working in school contexts where the values and norms are not consonant with broader society, appear to lack confidence in their practice of social justice leadership. This article extends the existing evidence base by arguing for enhanced critical consciousness of all stakeholders related to the personal, institutional and community contexts in schools. It recommends a more flexible and iterative process of policy development to facilitate a more nuanced understanding of the cultural and ideological struggles in schools. Finally, it calls for governments and policy makers to take responsibility for and support disadvantaged communities as education alone cannot solve the issue of inequity.</p>

Coaching: an approach for leadership development in the Singapore education system

PurposeThis paper aims to explore coaching as an approach to developing school leaders in the Singapore education system. It takes a close look at the nature of coaching experiences of beginning principals and principal-trainers, as well as the related benefits and challenges.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative inquiry approach was adopted, and four beginning principals and three principal-trainers were interviewed. An emergent coding method was deployed in data analysis.FindingsBeginning principals described a positive, helpful and empowering coaching experience when coached by principal-trainers. The latter skillfully asked questions in a safe, non-threatening space for deeper self-reflection. In the process, beginning principals gained greater self-awareness and self-empowerment, and appreciated the shared context of school leadership. While coaching is a useful leadership development approach, inherent implementation challenges were identified.Research limitations/implicationsCoaching as a system-wide strategy to support school leaders in Singapore has only recently been implemented. Further research using a larger sample is recommended as coaching becomes more pervasive.Practical implicationsThe findings revealed a compelling case for a more pervasive adoption of coaching as an approach to support leadership development. Coaching facilitates effective school leadership, and there is scope for self-coaching, peer coaching and coach supervision of principals, middle leaders and classroom teachers.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the nature and positive impact of principalship coaching within a specific policy and cultural context of the Singapore education system. It adds to the body of literature on principal preparation, development and support.

School leadership development practices in Japan

ABSTRACT This study examines practices relating to four dimensions of leadership development (recruitment and selection, professional learning, autonomy, and evaluation) in Japan. Initial information was drawn from prior literature and websites of the national government (e.g., national legislation, policy documents, and national statistics) and BOEs at prefectures and ordinance-designated cities (ODC) (e.g., regional legislation, standards for principals, and PD documents) by searching for such words as “principal leadership” and “professional development.” Additionally, a survey on detailed information was sent to all the 47 prefectural and 20 ODC BOEs. Regional differences as well as a national trend were illuminated by triangulating a variety of sources mentioned above, while connections within and among dimensions are made clear by using legislation, policy documents and prior literature. It reveals (1) recruitment and selection overly dependent on seniority, and ambitious but unsuccessful reforms to attract private citizen principals, (2) inconsistent and undifferentiated professional learning opportunities, (3) limited principal autonomy over personnel and finance issues except for a few local governments, and (4) recent development of principal evaluation systems as separated from those for educators in general. Policymakers should carefully design policies that build the capacity for principals through a coherent, differentiated, and sustained leadership development opportunities.].