Looking back and forward: a critical review of the history and future progress of the ISSPP

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to examine knowledge about successful principalship and discuss the methodology that has emerged throughout the history of the International Successful School Principals Project (ISSPP) and their implications for future progress.Design/methodology/approachHistorical analysis is used as a strategy for establishing the background, the expansion and the progress of ISSPP as a long-standing international research network and to discuss the development of three research strands and methodological variations over time. The analysis provides a basis for pointing at some areas that need more attention in the future.FindingsThe findings suggest multiple images of the meaning of key concepts in the project and multiple theoretical and methodological orientations. There is a need to pay more attention to methodologies to make the successful cases more comparable and also to clarify the underlying assumptions of the different approaches.Originality/valueSuccessful school principalship is a complex phenomenon. Therefore, future studies of successful schools and leadership would benefit from the use of knowledge that draws on sociology, cultural studies and politics.

Conceptualizing Successful School Leadership in Norway: Political and Cultural Practices

“…Among the researchers involved in the ISSPP, multiple images of key concepts have been displayed and discussed throughout the last 20 years; for example, the distinction between "success" and "effectiveness" and the definition of "educational leadership" have been heavily debated [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The literature on school effectiveness has not only considered how a school culture of high expectations is beneficial for student achievement in general but also how, to a lesser extent, it offers information about the symbolic or material resources that either generate such a culture or keep it from developing [2]. A variety of concepts related to the ideas of "successful school principal", "successful school leaders", and "successful school leadership" have been applied by the ISSPP, e.g., [4,5,[8][9][10].…”

“…A variety of concepts related to the ideas of "successful school principal", "successful school leaders", and "successful school leadership" have been applied by the ISSPP, e.g., [4,5,[8][9][10]. While the first two concepts indicate "individual principals as the unit of analysis", the third indicates "multiple leaders as the unit of analysis" [2] (p. 7).…”

“…The ISSPP is undeniably the widest-ranging international research project ever on school leadership. The extensive cross-national perspective functions as a nod to the ISSPP network's tenet that theory and practice in educational leadership are emotionally, socially, and contextually dependent constructs see, for example [2,[11][12][13][14][15]. Differences must be taken into account when the countries being compared do not have a common cultural heritage or language.…”