Islamic school leadership: advancing a framework for critical spirituality

The Research on Islamic-Based Educational Leadership since 1990: An International Review of Empirical Evidence and a Future Research Agenda

“…The shortage of empirical mixed-methods and comparative research on Islamic-based educational leadership is still evident, and the current body of research still needs further conceptualization of spiritual and faith-based leadership in Islamic schools, given the heightened anti-Muslim sentiment in the Global North. Such conceptualization can benefit from previous studies and grounded conceptualizations in problematizing Islamic ways of knowing, and testing current conceptualizations (e.g., Brooks and Mutohar 2018;Brooks and Ezzani 2021;Hammad and Shah 2019;Shah 2016) in Western leadership scholarship. Thus, grounded epistemologies, positionalities and paradigms are encouraged in future research.…”

“…Scholars have highlighted the importance of spiritual leaders in schools and their impact on students, teachers, parents, and school culture (Karada g et al 2020). Despite the growing literature on spiritual leadership, no agreed-upon definition of spiritual leadership exists (Brooks and Ezzani 2021;Brooks et al 2020;Dent et al 2005;Reave 2005). Many researchers differentiate between religion and spirituality.…”

“…Despite all the educational opportunities provided by Muslim and Arab scholars in early Islamic times especially during the Golden Ages (Arar and Haj-Yehia 2018), there is a scarcity of studies that view educational theories and strategies through an Islamic lens. However, many researchers highlight that, 20 years after 9/11, there has been a proliferation of studies related to what is called Islamic education, as such studies are shifting from being associated with hate and terrorism to enlightening Western societies (Brooks and Ezzani 2021;Arar et al 2019b). Nevertheless, with the rise of Muslim immigration, engendered racism, and Islamophobia, anti-migrant political parties have arisen throughout Europe.…”

“…Spiritual leadership is being acknowledged as a new leadership style, especially in schools (Reave 2005). Many educators are exploring spiritual leadership in faith-based schools, including schools that teach Muslims (Brooks and Ezzani 2021;Hammad and Shah 2019;Shah 2016;Usman et al 2021). However, scholars are also exploring new educational leadership trends in Islamic-based education, such as emotional leadership, instructional leadership, and Rabbani leadership (Hammad and Shah 2019).…”

The Impact of Managerial and Principal Academic Supervision on Teacher Performance

“…The success or failure of education in schools primarily depends on teachers, principals, and supervisors in a framework of regional autonomy and decentralisation of education because these three figures are the keys that determine and drive numerous components and other characteristics of the school (Brooks & Ezzani, 2022;Ezzani et al, 2021). Educator leaders, such as principals and supervisors, need to improve a wide range of talents and skills within their staff if their work is to benefit them personally (Amelia et al, 2022).…”