Page 39 - Educational Leadership in a Changing World

Unearthing Context

fact affect school effectiveness and student academic outcomes. Specif-
ically, a literature review provides some information on school leaders’
level of autonomy and its effect on student academic outcomes. Some
research suggests that granting schools greater autonomy can lead
to improved student outcomes, as it allows for more context-specific
decision-making and resource allocation (Hanushek et al., 2013).
Jackson (2023) examined a policy in Chicago that increased school-
level control and found that school leaders’ indirect support improved
maths and English passing rates. Kemethofer et al. (2023) used pisa
2015 data to examine the associations between school leadership, au-
tonomy, and student achievement. Their findings indicated no direct
link between school autonomy and leadership behaviour, but account-
ability and leadership were correlated. Additionally, their study found
that parental involvement played a significant role in linking leadership
to student outcomes.
However, Cheng et al. (2016) support previous studies that show re-
search on school autonomy often overlooks cultural and structural di-
mensions, leading to inconsistent findings. Therefore, they suggest that
school autonomy should be analysed in terms of functional, structural,
and cultural components to better understand its impact on student
learning.
Additionally, the literature suggests that the benefits of school au-
tonomy depend on the capacity of school leaders to make effective de-
cisions and on the level of accountability mechanisms in place (oecd,
2019). In fact, an important debate in the literature concerns whether
school autonomy leads to better academic performance across differ-
ent socioeconomic contexts. Some studies indicate that autonomy is
beneficial in high-performing education systems where school leaders
have the skills and resources to support their independence effectively
(Dronkers & Robert, 2007). However, in less resourced contexts, in-
creased autonomy without adequate support may exacerbate existing
inequalities and lead to divergent outcomes (Woessmann, 2016). Yet,
we need to take into consideration that school autonomy allows school
organizations to be innovative in teaching and learning and to respond
more directly to the needs of the communities they serve (Kemethofer
et al., 2023).

Concluding Remarks and the Logic of This Study
In general, the literature suggests that instructional leadership and
school autonomy can influence student achievement, with the role of
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