Impacting Instructional Improvement Through Organization Management: A Qualitative Examination of Principal Leadership in China

• In Event: Instructional Leadership

Abstract

This paper provides an in-depth examination of how principals impact instructional improvement in China. Based on extensive interviews of district administrators and school principals, we seek a more nuanced and complex understanding of instructional leadership. We found that while the dimensions and sub-dimensions of Chinese school leadership converge only to a limited extent with prevailing Western theoretical frameworks, instructional leadership could be practiced, cultivated, and shared through a rich set of organizational management strategies despite of challenging policy landscapes and limited resources.

Authors

• Qian Zhao, Beijing Normal University

• Xiu Cravens, Vanderbilt University