Page 126 - Educational Leadership in a Changing World

Antonios Kafa and Anita Trnavčević

practices. An action research methodology could add to informing
policy-makers and indicate more specific needs emerging in spe-
cific contexts. A bottom-up approach to identifying professional
development needs rather than a top-down approach has been ad-
vocated (Lafferty et al., 2024). However, as Miranda et al. (2024)
argue, due to the highly complex political environments, school
leaders need to build political awareness. Such topics are not fre-
quently included in teachers’ and principals’ professional develop-
ment; however, they would help them to better navigate through
policy and political complexity.

• Strengthen school leaders’ understanding and awareness of teachers’
well-being. This is a prerequisite for the success of the teaching and
learning process. School leaders cannot directly influence work-
ing conditions, such as teachers’ workload, the quality of physical
conditions of schools, and the policies of accountability. However,
school leadershaveadirect impact on creating a positive, inclusive,
and motivating school culture through school policies and norms,
and job satisfaction (Dreer, 2021).

• Promoting the leadership aspect of educational leaders beyond the con-
cepts of managerialism and administration. A clear distinction must
be made between managerialism and management. Managerial-
ism carries a pejorative, critical connotation in education (Santi-
ago & Carvalho, 2012). For example, the journal jceps (Journal
of Critical Education Studies), regularly publishes academic arti-
cles on managerialism, marketization of public education, the im-
pact of New Public Management (npm) on education and other
topics related to and emerging from npm application to the field
of education. Also, ‘leaderism’ as a concept has emerged in a pe-
jorative connotation. O’Reilly and Reed (2010, p. 960) define lead-
erism as‘anemergingsetof beliefsthatframesand justifiescertain
innovatory changes in contemporary organisational and manage-
rial practice – is a development of managerialism and that it has
been applied and utilized within the policy discourse of public ser-
vice reform in the uk as part of the hybridization and evolution of
npm and new public governance practices in the public services.’
So, when discussing management and leadership, we need to em-
bed the discussion in a broader political context. A bottom-up ap-
proach to policy development can contribute to a humanistic un-

126