"The Fourth Wave": Mapping a Unified Research Agenda on Leadership and Management Work in Schools

• In Event: Life of a Leader: Race, Gender, and Alternate Perspectives

Abstract

Entrenched norms, structures, and practices can exert considerable influence on the work of today's educators, particularly with respect to who is able to engage in leading and managing schools. Yet, the work of improving today's schools requires collaborative approaches that break down longstanding barriers between administrators, teachers, staff members, and community members. In this paper, we leverage our prior empirical work on teacher leadership in the United States to introduce a research agenda that takes a more holistic view of leadership and management in schools. We present three strands of work: critically assessing the education system's existing norms, structures, and practices; examining a school's "leadership and management space"; and reconceptualizing the very notion of school leadership and management.

Authors

• Bryan A. VanGronigen, University of Delaware

• Meredith Wronowski, University of Dayton

• Wesley Henry, Central Connecticut State University

• James L. Olive, University of Dayton