Conceptualisations of school leadership. A literature review ordered by the Flemish Education Council.

The Flemish Research Council wants to use reviews of scientific research to provide answers to relevant questions from diverse stakeholders in education (e.g. principals, teachers, inspection, and policymakers). This review wants to give answers to the question how leadership can take place and takes place in complex educational organisations (e.g. as a result of merger processes). Therefore, it will provide an overview of the most recent conceptualisations of school leadership in the literature. Moreover, it will review research on leadership in contexts of school clustering and collaboration between schools. The research questions guiding the review are: (1) Which terminology is used in the recent research literature about school leadership?; (2) Which are the most prominent conceptualisations about school leadership in the recent research literature?; (3) Which conceptual framework can be used to analyse school leadership in complex educational organisations, both at the level of schools and at upper-school level?

Keywords:School, Education

Disciplines:Education curriculum, Education systems, General pedagogical and educational sciences, Specialist studies in education, Other pedagogical and educational sciences