This review of research used science mapping to document European literature in the field of educational leadership and management (EDLM) and assess the extent to which there is a distinctive 'European niche' in this field. The review documents the volume, growth trajectory, and geographic distribution of EDLM scholarship and analyzes the…

This study reviews evidence about the overall influence of direction-setting leadership practices (DSLPs), 1 of 4 major categories of practices included in a widely known conception of effective leadership (e.g., Leithwood & Louis, 2011) and a focus of many other such conceptions, as well. This study also inquires about how direction-setting…

Collaborative support between teachers is crucial to school success. Communication, openness, and participation are key for creating a climate of trust. Professional relationships based on trust contribute to the development of a common vision for the school. However, building a collaborative atmosphere is challenging. A systematic review was…

This article reviews the literature on Chinese principalship written in English and Chinese between 1998 and 2008. The first sections discuss the rationale for the research, the review process, and the state of education research in mainland China. The review findings are presented as a set of core patterns and contributory subpatterns, which flow…

There is an increasing global emphasis on using data for decision making, with a growing body of research on interventions aimed at implementing and sustaining data-based decision making (DBDM) in schools. Yet, little is known about the school features that facilitate or hinder the implementation of DBDM. Based on a literature review, the authors…

A clearly articulated theoretical perspective on learning is essential for developing consistency among learning, pedagogy, and leadership and for planning and making adjustments to better serve students in all areas. Notwithstanding, few professional learning and school improvement approaches in pre-school through 12th grade (P-12) schools…

Over the last 4 decades, the school effectiveness and school improvement research bases have gained prominence and recognition on the international stage. In both a theoretical and empirical sense, they have matured through a wide range of well-documented projects, interventions, and innovations across a range of countries, describing how efforts…

School effectiveness research often uses multilevel models in which only direct effects of characteristics of schools on pupil achievement are modelled. Recently, more attention is given to conceptual models that assume indirect and antecedent effects. In this paper, we elaborate on these models and show that the findings from school effectiveness…

A study that evaluated teacher perceptions of principals' educational leadership in Dutch elementary schools using a Rasch- like scale in 1989, 1993, and 1998 found considerable improvement. An ancillary investigation found a significant relationship between principal leadership and average pupil achievement for 1993, but not for 1989. (Containe…

Syntheses of research findings from major studies of school-based management (SBM) generate eight elements of schooling associated with successful SBM: An active vision, meaningful decision-making authority, distribution of power, development and use of knowledge and skills, collecting and communicating information, rewards for progress, shared…

This paper analyses the experience of so-called "failing schools" in order to develop understandings that can inform improvement efforts. It reports on a study of the experiences of a small number of English primary schools placed in "special measures" as a result of being inspected. The study is unusual in that, in the past,…