Winner of the 2007 Critics' Choice Award presented by the American Educational Studies Association Performing and Reforming Leaders critically analyzes how women negotiate the dilemmas they face in leadership and managerial roles in Australian schools, universities, and continuing education. To meet the economic needs of the post-welfare nation state of the past decade, Australian education systems were restructured, and this restructuring coincided with many female teachers and academics moving into middle management as change agents. The authors examine how new managerialism and markets in education transformed how academics and teachers did their work, and in turn changed the nature of educational leadership in ways that were dissonant with the leadership practices and values women brought to the job. While largely focused on Australia, Performing and Reforming Leaders strongly resonates with the experiences of leaders in the United States and other nations that have undergone similar educational reforms in recent decades.

This volume provides diverse perspectives and paradigms in educational administration and leadership. Focusing on particular philosophical and theoretical schools of thought, it traces the contemporary history of debates in the field while also exploring emerging, non-traditional schools for insight and potential contributions to educational administration in multi-cultural contexts. It critically examines trends and issues in society and their impact on educational theory, and gives an overview of the scholarly study of organizations, administration, and leadership to develop introductory understandings of significant concepts and theories.

Emotional Dimensions of Educational Administration and Leadership explores foundational theories for emotional dimensions of educational administration and leadership as they influence our understanding, analysis and practice in the field. It covers a broad range of topics, such as ethics, authority, personality, social justice, gender discrimination, organisational culture, decision-making, accountability and marketisation. The first section, ‘Theoretical Foundations’, includes discussion of the early modern romantic philosophy that produced the heroic notion of leadership, the idealist philosophy of Hegel, existential concerns through Kierkegaard, the contributions of psychoanalysis, and Habermasian critical theory. The second section, ‘Types of Emotional Analysis’, includes examinations of the material culture, emotional economies, the politics of emotion, and the relationship between emotion and rationality. The last section, 'Critical and Contemporary Issues', includes critiques of the fear arising from accountability regimes, the political economy of the market model, a feminist critique of ideologies reflecting emotional investments, narrative expressions for the emotional context of teamwork, the problem of narcissism, and the emotional dimensions of role engagement. This volume explores an area that is only just re-emergent in the last few years. The collection demonstrates the relevance to practical issues and problems internationally, both within the organisational context and extra-organisationally with a focus on the application of emotional factors as they affect our understanding of, and practice in, educational organisations. The emotions of education affect the implementation of political values and culture within organisations.

Explore the uncharted territory of mid-career educational leadership with Becoming an Engaged Educational Leader: Navigating Mid-Career Growth and Development. This book addresses the notable gap in educational leadership literature, focusing on the pivotal but often overlooked mid-career phase. It does not aim to be the ultimate guide but serves as a catalyst to stimulate critical thinking, dialogue, and action among educational leaders. Mid-career leadership is a phase where experienced leaders grapple with unique challenges, standing at the crossroads of their careers. This book delves into the multifaceted aspects of mid-career educational leadership, offering readers a comparative lens by drawing upon experiences and practices from different countries. It recognizes that educational systems are influenced by cultural, social, and economic factors specific to each jurisdiction. Intended for mid-career educational leaders and administrators, as well as educators shaping the next generation of leaders, this resource provides valuable insights and practical guidance. With vignettes and reflective questions at the end of each chapter, it fosters critical thinking and meaningful discussions among students. Join us on a journey to enhance mid-career leadership in education and contribute to the overall improvement of our educational systems. ENDORSEMENTS: "This nine-chapter volume is a captivating work highlighting the value of engagement; the necessity, joys, and pain of growth during a challenging period; and the complexities of the middle years, and (in some instances) mid-careers. The publication represents a thoughtful exploration of a range of important issues that confront school leaders in their middle years, the period during which the natural enthusiasm of engagement with the job begins to wane and the lure of cessation from the task beckons. Given the attendant risks for school performance during this period of a leader’s journey, the contribution of this work to shaping the outlook of school leaders and strengthening their resolve, cannot be overstated. The book is a valuable resource for practitioners in the field as well as graduate and undergraduate students preparing to assume leadership roles in schools." - Canute S. Thompson, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica. "Becoming an Engaged Educational Leader: Navigating Mid-Career Growth and Development” is a much-needed edited volume that addresses the often-ignored mid-career stage of the educational leader’s development. Through their collective work, the editors and chapter authors emphasize the need for school leaders to sustain their professional growth and development through engagement with stakeholders amidst being pulled in multiple directions by educational reforms, policies, and work demands. With its international scope, the book offers valuable perspectives, lessons, and strategies that mid-career school leaders can draw from to grow their leadership capacity and to engage in transformative practices in their organizations." - Benjamin Kutsyuruba, Queen’s University, Canada

Present day knowledge about public sector reforms in Asia is quite scattered and seldom focuses on the challenges of leadership. This book seeks to address this issue by presenting country cases that reflect the great diversity of the region.

Theorising Identity and Subjectivity in Educational Leadership Research brings together a range of international scholars to examine identity and subjectivities in educational leadership in new and original ways. The chapters draw on a variety of approaches in theory and method to demonstrate the important new developments in understanding identity and subjectivity beyond the traditional ways of understanding and thinking about identity in the field of educational leadership. The book highlights empirical, theoretical and conceptual research that offers new ways of thinking about the work of educational leaders. The authors take critical approaches to exploring the influences of gender, race, sexuality, class, power and discourse on the identity and subjectivity formation of educational leaders. It provides global perspectives on educational leadership research and researchers and offer exciting new approaches to theorising and researching these issues. This book will appeal to researchers, students, and professionals working in the fields of educational leadership and sociology, and the chapters within offer readers new perspectives in understanding educational leaders, their work and their identities.