Principals as socio-religious curators: progressive and conservative approaches in Islamic schools

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate how socio-religious dynamics influence (and are influenced by) principals in Islamic schools.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative case study took place in Semarang, Indonesia. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with school leaders along with school site observations. To frame the study, we drew from both Indonesian and international scholarship to understand extant perspectives on the context and on the ways that principals influence socio-religious thinking and practices in schools.FindingsFindings suggested that principals' personal experiences and beliefs are central to the ways that socio-religious thinking and practices are manifest in their school. Principals practice more progressive or conservative leadership by influencing the degree to which the school is (a) an open or closed system, (b) inclusive or exclusive in their practices and (c) plural or unitary in their teaching. In making decisions along each of these continua, principals in Islamic schools “curate” a socio-religious educational environment.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on principals and socio-religious dynamics in schools by discovering specific continua of practice that collectively suggest a more conservative or progressive interpretation of Islam. As this area is understudied in educational leadership, the study makes a foundational empirical contribution, suggests theoretical constructs heretofore unexplored, and advances the notion of principal as curator of educational practice.

The new identity of Indonesian Islamic boarding schools in the “new normal”: the education leadership response to COVID-19

“…The deductive code was implemented in order to obtain high data reliability ( Catanzaro, 1988 ). These codes serve as lenses to analyze data and minimize educational leadership's complexity ( Brooks et al., 2020 , Brooks et al., 2020 ). It helps us consider, question, and imagine how the leadership response, shown by pesantren leaders and teachers, is viewed from four dimensions: policy, structural, social, and financial.…”

“…Both terms were used interchangeably in this study. This educational institution has received scant attention from experts during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Brooks, 2018 ; Brooks et al., 2020 , Brooks et al., 2020 ; Khalil and DeCuir, 2018 ). Apparently, this is the first attempt to investigate how pesantren leaders have demonstrated their ability to position themselves as true leaders and bring the pesantren to a better position in times of pandemics.…”

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, the kyai cannot rely on leadership in the traditional sense - such as a charismatic, top-down, or authoritative approach - to emerge from a complex crisis ( Dirani et al., 2020 ). The traditional leadership techniques of the kyai ought to be weakened and shifted to a more progressive type of leadership with several characteristics, namely distributed, collaborative, and networked leadership ( Brooks et al., 2020 , Brooks et al., 2020 ; Harris, 2020 ). This type of leadership is necessary for the pesantren to survive in crisis times ( Harris and Jones, 2020 ).…”

“…In other words, crises require democratic structures, not bureaucratic ones, and movement away from conventional wisdom to flexible decision making ( Smith and Riley, 2012 ), as portrayed in Figure 1 .

Figure 1 School leadership in normal times vs. crisis time (adapted from Brooks et al., 2020 , Brooks et al., 2020 ).

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“… School leadership in normal times vs. crisis time (adapted from Brooks et al., 2020 , Brooks et al., 2020 ). …”