Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership

Abstract

Research on educational leadership and management has resulted in the accumulation of increasingly persuasive findings concerning the impact school leadership can have on school performance. Indeed, there is a growing consensus that there exists a generic set of leadership practices (e.g. goal setting, developing people) which must be adapted to meet the needs and constraints that describe different school contexts. However, to date, researchers have yet to develop a theory or report comprehensive findings on this challenge. This paper explores several types of school contexts (institutional, community, socio-cultural, political, economic, school improvement) and what we have learned about how they shape school leadership practice. The analysis leads to several conclusions and recommendations. First, it affirms, elaborates and extends the assertion made by scholars of the importance of examining leadership in context. Second, the need to contextualize leadership highlights deficiencies in modal research methods that focus on mean effects and either ignore context effects or relegate them to the shadows. Finally, the field needs to refine current research methods and explore new approaches that enable us to better study how successful leadership responds and adapts to different contexts.

When the going gets tough: Schools in challenging circumstances and the effectiveness of principals' leadership styles

“…The findings of this study mark an important step forward in the much‐needed integration between leadership research in education and the reality of schooling (Berkovich, ; Hallinger, ). The insights can be transferred to other popular models of leadership in the public sector.…”

Personal Leadership Resources as Mediator of Context and Leadership Practice: A Review and Conceptual Analysis

“…However, the views espoused in Eacott (2019), Hallinger (2018), and Harris and Jones (2017) are not new, and similar remarks have been made for nearly the last 50 years. For example, Bridges (1970) and Hallinger, Bickman, and Davis (1996) drew comparable conclusions.…”

“…Despite the above recognition of the importance of context, Hallinger (2018) asserts that context has been treated as a 'given' in reviews of research and remains in the shadows of leadership. On this point, Harris and Jones (2017) concur, and state that contextual and cultural influences are, for the most part, missing in the debate about educational change and reform (p. 635).…”

“…Even though context may be considered as assumed in much of the literature related to educational leadership and management, as Clarke and O'Donoghue (2017) point out, context has long been an emphasis in the field of comparative education. Regardless, in response to this perceived gap, Hallinger (2018) adapted the Far West Lab instructional model (see Figure 1) originally put forth by Bossert et al (1982). Framed as a research-informed conceptual analysis, the purpose of Hallinger (2018) was to examine school contexts' influence on leadership and how leaders adapt their practice to varying contexts.…”

On Becoming a Social Justice Leader: A Fictionalized Narrative Approach

“…This study also reinforced the need to conceptualize context(s) as interwoven and interacting. In particular, the study showcased that context isn't simply the setting that social justice leaders are contrasted against; context is an important and influential factor that must be seriously taken into consideration so social justice leadership can be understood in a more meaningful way (Bettez & Hytten, 2013;Bogotch, 2000;DeMatthews, 2016;Hallinger, 2016).…”