Educational leadership: a multilevel distributed perspective

Educational leadership research has long highlighted the roles and functions of school principals. More recently, research has investigated leadership activity and impact at different levels in and across schools – from classrooms to central agencies. At the same time, there is widespread agreement that the multiple contexts within which schools operate play a significant role in how leaders shape their practice to positively influence student learning. However, there are too few sustained attempts which consciously connect research across these established and emerging subfields. As a result, our understandings of how successful leadership plays out and impacts student learning within complex organizational environments remains unfinished. In this publication the authors describe and advocate for a model of multi-level distributed leadership in education that integrates diverse sources across education sectors as a tool for improved teaching and supporting equal opportunity. They also advocate a multilevel distributed perspective as a way to frame future leadership research.