Directors of education in Greece operate at prefectural level and are the heads of the local directorates or bureaus of primary/secondary education. Because of the centralized character of the educational system, their role is restricted to facilitating the smooth operation of the local school system and implementing the national policy on school…

This overview of some aspects of the environment shaping the direction and nature of research in educational leadership in Australia, the USA and the UK commences by outlining a number of broad societal pressures, moves to the more specific international and national governmental reviews of educational research and some responses to these reviews,…

Case study data from six primary schools are drawn upon to examine the reality of primary headteacher leadership. Three alternative theoretical models of leadership are used to analyse the ways in which it has changed since the Education Reform Act (1988) and the implications of these changes for leading teaching and learning. Prior to 1988…

Research in education, and in educational leadership and management, has been heavily criticized in the UK for lack of quality and relevance. The criticism has led to a number of initiatives intended to ameliorate the situation, of which this special issue focusing on methods of investigation is a part. The article briefly considers the range of…

Is it possible for principals/heads to be effective educational leaders? In this study, we compared the work of principals/heads in two policy contexts. In Policy Context 1, standards for student performance were common and well-established, and authority was devolved to the school level for reshaping the school to meet those standards. In…