Educational leadership and management: Theory, policy, and practice

There is great interest in educationa l leadership in the early part of the 21st cen tury because of the widespread belief that the quality of leadership makes a significant difference to school and student outcomes. There is also increasing recognition that schools require effective leaders and managers if they are to provide the best possib le education f or their learners. Schools need trained and committed teachers but they, in turn, need the leadership of highly effective principa ls and su pport f rom other sen ior an d m iddle managers. While the need for eff ective leaders is widely ack nowledged, there is much less certainty about which leadership behaviours are most likely to produce favourable outcomes. I examine the theoretical und erpinn ings for the fie ld of educationa l leadersh ip and management, assess different leadership mode ls, and discuss the evidence of their relative effectiveness in developing successfu l schools. The significance of educational leadership and management There is great interest in educational leadership in the early part of the 21st century. This is because of the widespread belief that the quality of leadershi