This article reports research into the role and responsibilities of the chairs of governing bodies of further education colleges and sixth-form colleges in England. Further education colleges and sixth-form colleges represent a significant part of post-16 educational provision in England. Every college in the sector has a governing body, which has…

This phenomenological study intends to capture and describe Filipino college deans' lived experiences of ethical dilemmas as they carry out their work as administrators. Using semi-structured in-depth interviews and following Collaizzi's method, data was collected and subjected to cool and warm analyses yielding a set of themes and sub-themes that…

School governing bodies in England have considerable powers and responsibilities with regard to the education of pupils. This article explores how power relations operate, within governing bodies, through struggles over which types of knowledge are claimed and valued. The article draws on the analysis of policy and on ethnographic research in the…

In the UK the title "professor" is generally applied only to the most senior academics--equivalent to North American full professors--and whom anecdotal evidence indicates to be often unprepared for the increasingly expansive academic leadership roles that they are expected to fulfil. The study reported in this paper was directed at…

A prolific number of researchers have chosen to study metaphorical narratives, confirming their usefulness in educational research. The aim of this paper is to analyse the metaphorical expressions used by 68 principals from infant, primary and secondary schools in Alicante (Spain), concerning the way they see the figure of the principal and how it…

Educational leadership plays a significant role in school success, through its effects on teachers' emotions, attitudes, and behaviours. However, the knowledge of how school leaders influence teachers' emotions is very limited. Most existing evidence focuses on general explanations that are not the result of controlled research designs, which is…

In today's competitive and rapidly evolving educational environment, the ability to implement appropriate and effective change is of critical importance to an international school's ongoing success. This study examines leadership characteristics and styles that support the development and forward momentum of a change agenda within the context of…

Emerging from concerns about "contrived collegiality" in schools is also the recognition that breaking existing patterns of collegial interaction (or lack thereof) might necessitate some level of leader-initiated (or otherwise organizational) intervention. This paper presents the case of Middleville, a high-performing Midwestern US…

Systems thinking is a holistic approach that puts the study of wholes before that of parts. This study explores systems thinking among school middle leaders--teachers who have management responsibility for a team of teachers or for an aspect of the school's work. Interviews were held with 93 school coordinators, among them year heads, heads of…

This article explores how leadership and gender are constructed by women principals of schools located in communities of multiple deprivation in two provinces of South Africa. Analysis of interview data uncovers a hierarchy of goals related to establishing a school, recruiting and retaining learners, ensuring they are ready to learn, developing…

The aim of the study was to investigate, from a critical perspective, mentees' perceptions regarding the persons they view as their influential mentors--whether they regard them as authentic leaders and whether these mentors affect the development of mentees' emotional intelligence (EI). Using a sample of 62 teacher-mentees from different school…

The aim of this article is to examine how school principals perceive cultural diversity and management. To this end, qualitative research was carried out for one semester in four secondary schools in Andalusia (Spain). Through interviews and discussion groups, triangulated with other qualitative research techniques, we explored the mindset and…

In this paper, I explore the relationship of democracy to educational leadership; more specifically, to the notion of distributed leadership as it unfolds within policy-mandated multi-site school collaboratives, with particular reference to practices in go. Under the policy framework "For All Children To Succeed" introduced in Malta in…

This study considers the rhetoric and practice of self-assessment by governing bodies of schools and colleges. The context expects governing bodies to reflect on their performance and this is supported by theoretical approaches to self-assessment of "boards". However, there are both general notes of caution and interview evidence of the…

Principals' ability to lead their school towards its goals depends to a large extent on their leadership identity that influences the clarity of their mission, the way they see themselves as educational leaders and acceptance of their authority by their followers. Based on the concepts of leadership identity and role embeddedness, the present…