Leadership at the school level is vital for creating a positive learning environment, guiding transformative practices, and fostering collaboration among staff, students, and the community to achieve success and overall school improvement.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how shadowing has been applied as a method for principal development in China, in terms of its aims, the procedure and the transfer of learning. Four shadowing programmes countrywide were selected. The information on the experience of the participants, providers and mentors from high-performing site schools…

This qualitative study examined how female principals from two nations that recently opened up new avenues for women in educational leadership defined instructional leadership and what they did to prepare to become school principals. Using an open-ended survey and snowball sampling, female school leaders from Saudi Arabia and Qatar who led a…

Principals have an important function in schools' ability to create high-quality learning and teaching. As the expectations placed on principals are high, large resources are invested in school leadership training, thus necessitating research on the impact of such initiatives. In this article, we report on a longitudinal research study on the…

This study examines current approaches to professional development (PD) for school leaders in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. While PD programs indicate significant progress, school leadership remains in an early stage of development. The findings highlight the need for national policy commitments to ensure long-term sustainability. The challenge is…

This study reports on the professional development and school leadership programmes requested by principals in Malaysian schools. A total of 557 principals provided feedback on their preferred school leadership and professional development programmes which they believed as essential to be effective school leaders. Based on their feedback,…

In this paper we develop a model for the capabilities required by principals for effective Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) leadership. The model underpinned a large national cross-sectional research and development project across Australian states in both primary and secondary schools. This model is developed via synthesis…

In this article, we examine the role of the Principal within Further Education colleges in England and explore the often neglected issue of succession planning in the sector. To provide background and context to the current situation, key policies and developments over the past 30 years are reviewed and challenges identified. Interviews with…

The aim with this study was to investigate mentoring as a professional developmental strategy for principals and to establish whether there was a need for a formal mentoring programme for principals and circuit managers. An interpretive, qualitative case study approach was adopted, with 13 participants being selected for interview via purposive…

Learning Leadership is a framework that addresses the complex actions and decisions made by principals. Harris and Jones (2021) declared the need to deepen an understanding of how educational leaders support conditions inherent to learning organizations. This study sought to better understand how principals learn and support growth as a strategy…

Following a professional program to ensure qualification for school leadership is a growing trend. However, school leaders have also come to understand and use content from educational programs in widely different ways. There is therefore a need to study how participating school principals experience learning differently within one and the same…

Principals and school management teams are expected to provide unwavering leadership and professional and sustainable support to create opportunities for teachers and themselves to develop professionally. Currently, the lack of teacher content knowledge, low rates of motivation and accountability are key challenges resulting in the low-quality…

This study aimed to explore the practices of school heads in handling conflicts among their teachers in the City Schools Division of Cabuyao during the school year 2024-2025. There were ten (10) school heads; five (5) of each from public elementary and secondary schools who took part as the participants of the study. The researcher utilized the…

In response to the changing demographics of schools in Canada and to efforts to better equip principals to challenge inequity, leadership preparation programs have adopted new policies focusing on leading with an equity lens. However, studies have demonstrated a disconnect between what is covered in these leadership programs and how school…

A growing body of research has emphasised the importance of school leadership for quality improvement in schools, which reinforces the importance of school leaders' continuous professional development in working life. However, less is known about the professional development of experienced principals. Against this background, the purpose of this…