Page 37 - Educational Leadership in a Changing World

Unearthing Context

contextual factors. School leaders’ leadership dimension and practices
may depend on factors such as the socioeconomic status of students
and the school’s location.
In fact, the role of escs as both a mediator and moderator in these
relationships adds further complexity. Specifically, these kind of fac-
tors could shape the relationship between instructional leadership
and school autonomy and affect school leaders’ practices. escs has
long been recognized as a critical determinant of student achievement.
escs, as measured in pisa, encompasses family wealth, parental edu-
cation, and access to cultural resources, all of which contribute to stu-
dents’ educational opportunities (oecd, 2019). A study by Borgonovi
and Pál (2016), suggested that escs mediates the effects of school lead-
ership on student outcomes by influencing the availability of learning
resources, parental support, and students’ aspirations. Therefore, con-
textual elements play an important role when leading school organiza-
tions.
Additionally, escs may alternate the effectiveness of instructional
leadership and school autonomy in school organizations. For instance,
schools in high-escs contexts may benefit more from autonomy due
to greater parental involvement and resource availability (Schleicher,
2018). Conversely, in low-escs settings, school autonomy may have
limited positive effects if leaders lack the necessary capacity to navi-
gate resource constraints effectively (Leithwood et al., 2020; Pashiardis
et al., 2018).
Furthermore, Schwarz and Brauckmann (2015) emphasize the impor-
tance of context, noting that school leaders’ practices are strongly in-
fluenced by their perceptions of their environment. Specifically, they
referred to the concept of the ‘area close to the school’ (acts) and how
it influences school leaders’ leadership and performance (Schwarz &
Brauckmann, 2015). Similarly, Hallinger (2016) highlights the signifi-
cance of the community context in shaping school leaders’ practices.
According to studies conducted in Europe, factors such as the school’s
geographical location, parental engagement, financial constraints, and
student behaviour affect school leaders’ instructional practices (Brauck-
mann & Pashiardis, 2011; Pashiardis, 2014). Therefore, it is important
to acknowledge that contextual factors, including escs, directly im-
pact school leadership effectiveness, making it impossible to separate
leadership success from its surrounding environment (Brauckmann-
Sajkiewicz & Pashiardis, 2022).

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