Senior Lecturer in Education Leadership and Management at The Open University
Special Interest Group
Educational Leadership
A meeting place for the critical exploration of educational leadership – research, policy and practice - in the pursuit of social justice.

This SIG is concerned with the governance and leadership of educational institutions in all sectors (compulsory and post-compulsory; state, voluntary and private) and all contexts.Â
We are interested in both the policy and institutional practices, including the moral, social, cultural and political positioning adopted, together with the processes involved in developing these practices, ultimately for the benefit of learners. These interests extend beyond the UK with many of us are engaged in the research and scholarship of educational leadership and management in overseas contexts.Â
Some of our members undertake empirical research; others develop theory and theoretical perspectives; and some are involved in practitioner research. We welcome the active involvement of all members who may be established or emerging researchers with an interest in the field of educational leadership.
Research interestsÂ
- School, FE and HE educational leadership Â
- Policy scholarship of educational leadershipÂ
- Governance and educational leadershipÂ
- Educational leadership, power, inequality, change and activismÂ
- Educational leadership and social justiceÂ
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The aim of the SIG is to provide a place for critical discussion were researchers in the field of educational leadership can explore theoretical and methodological approaches to research in the field . Â
The aims of the group are to:Â
- Explore and share current research in the field of educational leadership.Â
- Generate new ideas about research methodologies and approaches in the field.Â
- Promote amongst researchers and practitioners a critical understanding of research within the field.Â
- Help develop a context of critical enquiry to the field as a means for social justice.Â
- Help foster a community of critical educational leadership scholars.
- Provide a platform to promote the research and academic interests of SIG members.
Activities /Events:Â
The SIG seeks to develop a community through itsÂ
- An annual forum meetingÂ
- two SIG events to share current research in the field. Â
- Quarterly newsletters that share the work of SIG members and opportunities to engage in the field.Â
Content associated with this SIG
Guest editing opportunity for Research Intelligence, issue 167
½¿É«µ¼º½â€™s Publications Committee is seeking an individual or team (of up to three people) to guest edit issue 167 of Research Intelligence on the theme of ‘The Curriculum and Assessment Review:...
Leadership in a Time of Monsters: Responding to Contemporary Challenges
We live in an era when the old-world order has passed but a new world order is yet to fully take shape: evocatively described by Antonio Gramsci as a time of monsters. Marked by profound global...
½¿É«µ¼º½ journals virtual issue: Evaluating the worth of race, ethnicity and education over the last five years
Racism is a shapeshifter that adapts to silence minoritised ethnic voices, unless it is continually made visible. Race research therefore needs continuous development to challenge pervasive...
Teacher autonomy in education: Key insights and how to promote it
Scientific interest in the topic of teacher autonomy has grown in recent years in research publications across both international and local literature. This growing attention may be due to the...
Continue reading blog postEditorial: Seeking a new paradigm for antiracist multicultural education
English society and its education system have been through several phases of multicultural education – beginning with the colourblind, then through multicultural and antiracist phases, and then...
Continue reading blog postSeeking a new paradigm for antiracist multicultural education
English society and its education system have been through several phases of multicultural education. The current context for race, racism and hope education was discussed by Vini Lander in her...
Controversial issues in schools: A consideration for staff wellbeing
Minoritised teachers are less likely to stay in teaching than their White counterparts, citing the added burden of racism as a contributing factor (Worth et al., 2022). Ethnic minoritised staff...
Continue reading blog postHow effective leadership can tackle the out-of-school children crisis in Sindh, Pakistan
The challenge Across the world, 22.8 million children remain out-of-school. Pakistan ranks second globally for the highest number of out-of-school children. In the southeastern province of Sindh,...
Continue reading blog post