Archives

• Leadership Themes and Contemporary Issues in Post-secondary Institutions

  Vol. 22 No. 2 (2022)

• Relational Leadership in Higher Education and Policing: Exploring Themes of Leadership, Learning, Culture and Skills

  Vol. 24 No. 1 (2024)

  This issue explores a range of relational leadership themes and contexts. Most relate to leading in higher education but also in policing contexts. The book review examines humility and curiosity. Imagination and its linkages to relational leadership is presented. Similarly group dynamics and collaboration and the positive outcomes are also encompassed in this issue. Culture, discrimination and the adverse influences of economic theories in higher education are also explored. Learning within leadership development is highlighted as important and exploration of personal impacts are included.

• There are Multiple Forms of Leadership. You Might be Surprised

  Vol. 25 No. 1 (2025)

  Different Perspectives in Leadership by Shelleyann & Donald Scott (Co-Editors in Chief)

  This issue presents alternative perspectives in leadership theory, philosophies, and practices always remaining mindful of the importance of leadership for enhanced learning. For example, Macpherson explores “pragmatic holism” to develop a “web-of-belief” with practical implications for enhanced ethical leadership in support of quality learning. His approach supports school leaders’ capacity to engage with situational analysis and decision making through an ethical lens. White posits a pluriversal framework inspired by Kantian ethics, Ubuntu philosophy, Confucian thought, Cherokee wisdom, Durkheimian sociology, and Habermasian theory which can transcend individual agency and collective responsibility. The diversity in these theoretical lenses encourages unusual and deep reflection on different perspectives and philosophical orientations which can enable leaders to bridge the tensions of the “collective” versus “individual” concerns in schools. Along a similar philosophical theme, Campbell and MacGregor, examine leadership hegemony and power norms which can perpetuate inequities. Their discussion highlights the tensions between leaders and minority groups in schools. They discuss how many leaders are “dominantly located”, that is, are white, cisgendered, male, and heterosexual, and how their lack of experience can cause power issues with minoritized elements of the school community. Their framework explores the coalescence of identities; lived experiences; and dispositions, beliefs, and assumptions of leaders within a policy decision making dynamic, emphasizing how to create positive change for equity approaches in schools.

  Lisi and Friesen’s research focuses on leadership of learning and identified the importance of leaders’ deportment, that is, “how they carried themselves and embodied their leadership roles”, to establish positive environments for fostering and distributing leadership, building capacity, and school improvement. This research provided a unique insight into the leader as a “person”, and how important their deportment is in building trust within their school community.

  Similar to Lisi and Friesen’s research, Wu and Chua focused on learning and program quality, but in the childcare rather than the school context. Their paper provides an interesting insight into the Singaporean context and the importance of quality programming for early childhood learning with important implications for leaders of centres. As we know many educational leaders are expected to be pedagogical leaders, however, this paper makes the linkage overt between leaders’ behaviours and program quality.

• Leadership & Teaching - Leadership, Policy & Theory in K-12

  Vol. 22 No. 1 (2022)

  This issue focusses on the K-12 sector. It comprises two sections: 

  1.) Leadership and Teaching - Articles 1 - 8
  2.) Leadership, Policy, and Theory - Articles 9 - 17

• Leadership Through an International Lens

  Vol. 23 No. 1 (2023)

  The articles in this issue explore a range of leadership topics such as academic development, shared leadership, ethical leadership, power and corruption, leadership influence, culture shock, and reform efforts. These varied leadership themes are examined within the frame of particular national contexts.

• Exploring Positive Forms of Leadership in Post-secondary Education

  Vol. 24 No. 2 (2024)

  This issue is themed around dimensions of inclusionary leadership at the university classroom level, in a whole faculty approach as well as at the sector level. It also examines some of the contemporary contentions for leaders such as the influences of neoliberalism including the massification of education, the negative aspects of the privatization of university education, the depredations on authentic and creative leadership, and the impacts and tensions due to COVID-19.

  Blanchard recommended that “principled leadership”, encompassing spirituality, love (an ethic of care), and a strong sense of authentic identity within leaders, can ameliorate the negative impacts of neoliberalism in Canada. Along a similar positive vein, Quinsee and Parker in the UK call for leadership development to overtly include playfulness in the university contexts. They highlighted the importance of playful learning to forge safe and supportive learning environments for leaders, which in turn can promote leaders’ resilience by learning from failure within safe and fun environments. Kapoyannis, Kendrick, and Danyluk described their leadership response to the complications arising from COVID-19 as collaborative professionalism within a community of practice. This collaborative approach illustrated the positive outcomes of leaders working together for the benefit of their students within trying and messy times.

  Fournier’s inclusionary leadership explores the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), specifically the Voice Thread tool, to make content visual and auditory, rather than simply relying on print as a useful strategy for all students but particularly as a UDL approach for those who struggle with reading. This demonstrated inclusionary leadership within the university classroom, whereas Hill, Crawford, Martens, Pelletier, Thomas, and Wong explored inclusionary leadership through the lens of Indigenization of their faculty’s programs via Métissage. Their collaborative work directly influenced teaching, learning, and scholarship through braided narratives. Inclusionary leadership at the sector level was highlighted by Mellon and Archer who examined the Further Education and Training (FET) sector in Ireland particularly as this sector caters to an increasingly diverse student population. They emphasized the importance of this sector in support of students with varied needs and backgrounds.

  This issue offers a different and unique perspective to post-secondary leadership. So many of these papers have a distinctly positive and uplifting flavour and offer strategies and recommendations to address the diversity in post-secondary institutions.