Educational Leadership through a Practice Lens

This book provides the theoretical and analytical resources for an urgent rethinking of the social project of educating and educational leading. It examines what educational leadership is, namely the politics and power of leadership as a practice, and what it can and should be, offering a pedagogical and praxis-informed approach to educational practice. 

Drawing on research conducted at various Australian schools and education districts, it argues for a reframing of educational leadership as pedagogical practice/praxis to transform theorising and practice in the field. The book provides a rich account of educational leading through a practice lens, bringing into dialogue the theory of practice architectures with site ontologies, Bourdieu’s thinking tools and feminist critical scholarship.

The book tracks the practices and praxis of educational leaders as they grapple with the changing landscape and forces of educational policies that have informed Australian education. It reimagines education leadership by integrating Continental and Northern European understandings of pedagogy and praxis as being morally and ethically informed, as opposed to the narrower Anglophone notions of pedagogy as teaching and learning. 

The book adds to the body of knowledge on the “actual work of leadership” as a “distinct set of practices” that is morally and ethically informed. Readers will find a more holistic understanding of educational leadership practice and praxis, based on the everyday accounts of educational leaders, teachers and students in schools and education districts.

Jane Wilkinson is a Professor of Educational Leadership in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia. Her main research and teaching interests are in the areas of educational leadership for social justice, refugee education and practice theory (feminist, Bourdieuian and practical philosophy). She has conducted extensive research with educational leaders in schools and universities in regional and urban Australia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Her most recent study, funded by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria, looks at the role played by school and community leaders in building social cohesion. She also researched extensively with primary and secondary schools on how exemplary schools connect up their leadership and professional development practices in ways that enhance teaching and students’ academic and social practices.