Our study focused on the leadership strategies of Estonian and Finnish principals aimed at encouraging teachers to participate in school development. We also looked at context-bound factors that form the framework within which principals discuss their work regarding (1) creating a shared vision, (2) implementing shared leadership practices, (3)…

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore principals' perspectives on the concept of teacher leadership, the strategies that they employed to support teacher leadership practice and the challenges and issues that principals faced while implementing teacher leadership. Methodology: This qualitative case study uses interview sessions with…

Data- driven decision making DDDM in school settings is often guided and influenced by various sources of data that assist in improving students' outcomes. School principals as the main educational leaders, play a pivotal role in DDDM using the available school data. Semi-structured interviews with 24 school principals were conducted to…

As the demands on public school leaders continue to increase, their need for support increases. Mentoring is one way school leaders may experience that support. In this paper, we examine the support school leaders state they need and the extent to which mentorship may be addressing those needs. We draw on survey results matched to school and…

Alternative schools were characterized by numerous risk factors that impacted student learning, teacher retention, and access to essential resources. The implementation of self-efficacy was crucial in tackling and successfully finishing difficult tasks. Studies were scarce regarding the impact of school principals' self-efficacy on their…

Research on inclusion in early childhood educational (ECE) settings points to the need for a deeper understanding of professionals' perceptions of the dilemmas and challenges situated in the varying contexts of these settings. Viewing inclusion as a complex phenomenon, this study uses the Deweyan theory of democracy as a lived experience to…

This paper explores the perspectives of six contextually different primary and secondary school principals regarding the complexities, contradictions and benefits of ethical leadership practices. Underpinned by the interpretive research paradigm and chaos theory, a qualitative case study design was adopted to guide data generation. We used…

Currently, the low number of candidates and the complex formation of the teams are great problems in the occupation of the school leadership position. This qualitative study aims to identify the main difficulties experienced from the perspective of the candidates. Based on the data obtained in various interviews, it should be noted how the…

Test-based accountability offers schools limited guidance on informing sustained reforms, whereas on-site school evaluations provide broader and more nuanced evidence. In order to transform inspection feedback into long-term reforms, school leaders' attitudes towards these evaluations are critical. Relying on organizational change theory, this…

The present study explores the relationship between school principals' beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge with their practices concerning the education of students with disabilities, shedding light on their pivotal role in fostering inclusive education. Data were obtained through a validated questionnaire tailored for the Greek educational context,…

Purpose: This study examines how women principals authored reforms in their schools and the resources and multifaceted identities they drew upon to navigate change. Design/methodology/approach: Using life history methods, this paper examines data from 20 semi-structured interviews conducted during 2022-2023 with 10 women public school principals…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perceptions of school principals regarding creating a safety plan that addresses school safety in K-12 schools in Illinois. The conceptual model that guided this study was the M-PHAT model from the National Association of School Psychologists Framework for Safe and Successful…

Mindfulness practice has been shown in the literature to enable school students of all ages to have better coping skills and academic achievement. The school milieu is a good fit for the delivery of mindfulness interventions. Implementing programming in schools is challenging, and there is a gap in understanding whether schools will successfully…

This study aimed to gain insight into the impact of personal life experiences on the leadership of school principals. As leaders of educational institutions, school principals are tasked with a wide range of responsibilities, including managing school personnel and students, handling government and policy relations, and spearheading academics,…

School principals are facing an increase in demand and challenges from district, state, and federal agencies for improvements both behaviorally and academically. Each year, more school principals exit their positions for other professions. The concentrated poverty school districts have been hit the hardest by this exodus. The purpose of this basic…