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This article reports on the findings of a larger case study about the impact of values on educational leaders in Iceland. The environment of Icelandic schools has changed considerably in recent years. These changes have affected schools and changed the nature and scope of principals' work. Scholars have argued that these changes are primarily market driven and have made schools subject to market pressures. Ten principals, five women and five men, were interviewed and asked how recent changes had affected their roles. They were also asked to share information about difficult decisions they had made during this time. Moreover, in all the ten schools, one mid-level administrator was interviewed. This article shows that Icelandic principals work in a changing and unstable environment, where values of school stakeholders often compete for recognition. It highlights the conflicting demands principals were faced with and the difficult issues they had to resolve in a competitive environment. Many of the conflicts involved core activities of teaching and learning against various other new services. Their narrative shows that they focus on their role as pedagogical leaders and see care as a core value in their practice. This holds true regardless of gender.

Nútímakenningar um skólastjórnun beina kastljósinu m.a. að sýn skólastjóra á hlutverk sitt, þeim gildum sem hafa áhrif á starfshætti þeirra (Begley, 2004; Branson, 2005) og hvernig þeir forgangsraða verkefnum sínum. Á síðasta aldarfjórðungi hafa höfundar þessarar greinar rannsakað viðhorf skólastjóra í grunnskólum með spurningalistakönnunum, þ.e. 1991, 2001 og 2006 (Börkur Hansen, Ólafur H. Jóhannsson og Steinunn Helga Lárusdóttir, 2008). Hér er greint frá rannsókn á störfum skólastjóra sem gerð var 2017. Sjónum er beint að þeim gildum sem þeir segjast leggja mesta áherslu á og hvernig þeir forgangsraða helstu verkefnum sínum. Gögnum var safnað með spurningalista sem sendur var til allra skólastjóra í grunnskólum landsins vorið 2017. Dregin er upp mynd af aðstæðum í skólunum, þ.e. skólagerð, skólastærð og kennslufyrirkomulagi, og afstaða skólastjóra til mikilvægra gilda sem tengjast skólastarfi er könnuð. Einnig var athugað hvernig þeir forgangsraða verkefnum, svo sem vinnu við námskrárgerð, samskiptum við starfsfólk, nemendur o.fl. sem tengist störfum þeirra. Niðurstöður benda til þess að nokkurs ósamræmis gæti milli yfirlýstra gilda skólastjóra og raunverulegra. Greininni lýkur með samanburði við fyrri rannsóknir höfunda á forgangsröðun viðfangsefna skólastjóra og umræðum um gildi niðurstaðnanna.

This article calls for a formal review of the educational system in Iceland in light of the impact of the economic collapse upon the nation in October 2008. In particular, this article highlights the fact that most of the Icelandic leaders who contributed to the economic collapse in Iceland were products of the Icelandic educational system. Apparently they saw themselves as individuals without responsibility towards either their countrymen or those of neighbouring countries. Arguably, the schooling of these leaders had placed too much emphasis on the cognitive aspects of their education at the expense of their ethical development. Hence, the author proposes that this shortcoming of the educational provision in Iceland needs to be redressed so that future leaders of the nation are not deprived of the opportunity to develop both their cognitive and ethical knowledge and skills. The author moreover suggests that the rise and fall of the Icelandic economy may be seen as a case study from which not only Icelanders but other nations as well could learn. This bitter experience could thus become a 142 STEINUNN HELGA LÁRUSDÓTTIR learning experience with applicability reaching far beyond the geographical boundaries of the island. To this end, this article seeks to answer questions about what role and responsibility schools have in graduating students who have not only acquired vocational knowledge and skills but have also developed a commitment to being infl uenced by sound moral judgment.