The aim of this study was to analyze the alignment of visions, missions, and goals for school improvement in an Estonian context. Since school leaders have high levels of autonomy in Estonia, school improvement is strongly influenced by direction setting. In this study, we analyzed 56 school improvement plans to examine the variability of topics…

This research aimed to examine school principals' perceptions and practices during the COVID-19 period through the perspective of school leaders' agency and proactive coping role when facing adversity and crisis. For this purpose, we interviewed 60 principals of elementary, middle, and high schools. Interview analysis yielded five categories of…

The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the relationship between instructional program coherence (IPC) and teacher intent to leave; and (2) investigate teacher psychological need satisfaction as a mediator in this relationship. HLM was used to test the hypotheses. As predicted, school differences in teacher intent to leave their school were…

This study tested the relationship between Principal Support of Teacher Psychological Needs (PSTPN) and a need-supportive instructional climate. Evidence on social contagion was used to advance three hypotheses: "PSTP is associated with school differences in student reported autonomy-support, competence-support, and relational-support; A…

This case study examined teacher professional learning in the context of the Abu Dhabi New School Model educational reform initiative. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews that were conducted with teachers and school leaders. The study's findings reveal a serious disconnect between formal policy, practice, and implementation as…

Educational organizations can be characterized by the institution's bureaucratic controls and the varied ways teachers respond to these controls. Although different controls and responses are studied in disparate theories and empirical research, the process of how teachers respond is not often studied and integrated in a singular theoretical…

The article analyzes the recent evolution of school leadership in Chile between 2009 and 2019, a decade of significant intensification in the country's school leadership policies, comparing principals' characteristics, working conditions and leadership practices, as reported by school principals and teachers. Data comes from a survey applied in…

Because charter school principals are granted more autonomy and discretion than principals of traditional public schools, it is imperative to search for the attributes of principals that may improve charter school performance. This study examines the relationship between principals' collective bargaining and charter school effectiveness. Using…

This study used a social justice and transformative leadership framework to focus on regions of Spain that have experienced an increase of immigrant families. The purpose was to determine how experts in the field of educational leadership viewed social justice and what challenges principals faced in schools with large immigrant populations. Social…

This article seeks to compare and analyze school-level challenges for school leaders and their responses to Syrian refugee education in Turkey, Lebanon, and Germany, drawing on the post-migration ecology framework developed and sensemaking processes in leadership. We utilized a comparative qualitative design within the realm of qualitative…

This study explores the experiences of high school middle leaders implementing a generally outlined reform, which required educators to exercise judgment regarding how to meet the reform's goals. Exploring 65 middle leaders' perceptions regarding the implementation of the Meaningful Learning Reform in Israel revealed that they experienced two main…

The research investigated perceptions of trust among school principals and teachers in the Arab education system, identifying factors that assist or hinder trust in school. Qualitative methodology employed semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 high school principals and 15 high school teachers. It was found that trust was perceived as…

In an era of increased attention to academic achievement gaps, expanding educational options has emerged as one approach to meeting the diverse learning needs of urban youth. This multiple-case study uses teacher interviews to investigate the role of extra-organizational factors (e.g., district- or state-level mandates) in shaping teachers' work…

A tiered autonomy policy was recently implemented in Philadelphia, where select principals were granted autonomy to manage school operations while others were promised greater district support to improve school functioning. This article provides evidence on how principals used their autonomy and the extent of district support for non-autonomous…

While the notion of "armed love" has been discussed in the context of pedagogy in a limited way, it stands to reason that teachers cannot do this work alone; school leaders must guide teachers by practicing and enacting armed love in their leadership. In this article, I borrow from prior conceptualizations of armed love and, applying it…