New Perspectives in Educational Leadership examines educational administration and leadership within the complex social, political, and community contexts that inform and influence the work of today's educational leaders. With particular attention to the implications and larger contexts of shifting demographics, high-stakes accountability, and globalization on schools and society in the twenty-first century, this volume seeks to advance lines of inquiry presented in other areas of education research, that have yet to be fully explored or imagined in the field of educational leadership. This unique blend of empirical, theoretical, and conceptual research by both established and emerging scholars in the field directly acknowledges and addresses the demands of leading increasingly diverse and complex school communities. Topics include: the social and cultural dynamics of leadership, reflective practice, politics of equity and adequacy, critical servant leadership, and the possibilities of transformative leadership within these dynamic educational contexts. As a primary or supplementary text in educational administration, leadership, and foundations courses, New Perspectives in Educational Leadership provides a much-needed complement to the traditional topics of instructional leadership and education management given the expanding and increasingly complex conditions that face educational administrators and school leaders today.

Recent research into school effectiveness has corroborated the theory that the school leader plays a pivotal role making their school a successful institution, and is most often cited as the key factor in a school’s development. Reflecting the importance it is given in the today’s education landscape, this book explores the latest trends in school leadership from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Each chapter provides insight into an aspect of current research, with detailed case studies coming from as far afield as Hong Kong and Canada. In the context of the ever-increasing burden of responsibility placed on education management to safeguard and enhance the quality of education they provide, school leadership is now a core concern of policy makers. In addition, most countries are undertaking fundamental education reforms that will have a major influence on the nature of school leadership. Offering the most up-to-date research on this central issue, this book will both inform and shape the debate.

Understanding Educational Leadership guides you through critical perspectives and approaches across the world, taking in the global north and south, and explores the ways in which educational leadership is currently understood, theorised, researched, modelled and practised. The book also covers contemporary issues including gender, sexual identity and race, as well as topics such as governance, performativity and corporatisation. It brings together evidence and ideas that illuminate the power structures and relations in educational leaders, leading and leadership and helps you to consider the impact on policy and practice, and to think about changes needed to mitigate the issues identified. The book showcases a wide range of theorists, including Bourdieu, Foucault and Fraser. Its impressive scope includes analyses of collectivist, neoliberal and historical influences on educational leadership. It explores forensically leadership styles, with an explicit focus on distributed, instructional, democratic, autocratic, laissez-faire and organisational forms. Carefully curated by the editors, the world-leading contributors draw on their wealth of knowledge about research and practice to provide you with an overview of educational leadership today, looking at global research, evidence, arguments and conceptualisations. Each chapter is written in an engaging and inspiring way, following a consistent approach to help you to develop your understanding in each of the areas covered. Full pedagogical features throughout include chapter summaries, key questions, case studies, questions for readers and further reading suggestions with questions on key texts. A companion website provides links to open-access outputs, research-project outcomes, and networking seminars, conferences with links to local, national and global events and connections.

Alma Harris The ?eld of school leadership is currently preoccupied with the idea of distributed leadership. Few ideas, it seems, have provoked as much attention, debate and c- troversy. Whatever your position on distributed leadership, and you cannot fail to have one, it is irrefutable that distributed leadership has become the leadership idea of the moment. Yet, it is an idea that can be traced back as far as the mid 20s and possibly earlier. So why the interest? Part of the answer can be found in a move away from theorizing and empirical enquiry focused on the single leader. This shift has undoubtedly been fuelled by structural changes, within schools and across school systems that have resulted in - ternative models or forms of leadership practice. Evidence highlights how those - cupying formal leadership positions are increasingly recognizing the limitations of existing structural arrangements to secure organizational growth and transformation (Fullan et al. , 2007; Harris et al. , 2008; Chapman et al. , 2008). As a consequence, many heads and principals are actively restructuring, realigning and redesigning leadership practice in their school (Harris, 2008). While the terminology to describe such changes varies, the core principle is one of extending or sharing leadership practice. While scholars have long argued for the need to move beyond those at the top of organizations in order to examine leadership (Barnard, 1968; Katz and Kahn, 1966) until relatively recently, much of the school leadership literature has tended tofocusupontheheadortheprincipal.

This book is an edited collection of original papers which challenge in a very direct manner the dominant behviourist and functionalist views that have come to entrap those who live, work and conduct research in the areas of educational leadership, and focusing instead on the structures and processes within schools as organisations that frustrate, distort and ultimately stifle educative relationships the writers provide a much needed way of reconceptualising both thought and action in so-called acts of educational leadership.

"All 21st century leaders must be forward looking and have a well developed capability to anticipate or envision the future. They will need to have wisdom and the ability to think outside the box and possess the ability to turn crises and threats into opportunities. Thus, the topic of educational leadership remains a hot topic for debate and development. This book provides a strong base of reliable, verifiable knowledge needed to foster development of educational leadership capabilities across a diversity of domains and it shares a diversity of perspectives, experiences, theories and philosophies related to educational leadership across all levels of education. Educational Leadership: Perspectives, Management and Challenges is a leading edge research publication that examines leadership theories and practices that educational institutions must employ to be proactive, visionary, and ethically sound. The publication covers the importance of educational leadership as well as the foundation for developing frameworks in which to ground the presence of leadership in education. While featuring a wide range of topics such as principals' leadership styles, the significance of agility in the digital age, and sustained competitiveness, this book is ideal for librarians, academicians, administrators, researchers, education professionals, policymakers, and students"--

One of the more common causes of school system failure is the absence of effective leadership. Ideally, school leaders are supposed to be the change agents and facilitators whose primary mission is to improve school culture and bring about the effective transformation that leads to a model Professional Learning Community (PLC). School leaders must focus on developing human capital by working collaboratively with teachers, students, and all who are involved within the system. Effective school leadership has been examined from a variety of perspectives, with the focus ranging from the principles of servant leadership to moral imperatives and distributed perspectives. The debate on what constitutes effective school leadership continues to be wide-ranging and complex. Today’s research scholarship will be the groundwork for how tomorrow’s schools develop a new breed of leadership. Upcoming leaders will face new, unforeseen challenges, so they must re-evaluate strategies and re-work standard processes, in order to promote sustainable development within their respective school systems. Tomorrow’s leaders will be expected to lead a diverse collective of students and teachers, to foster an enduring and empowering culture among students, teachers and other stakeholders committed to build a successful learning community.