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PurposeThis paper is derived from a thorough and systematic study, contributing to further understanding of the perception of authentic leadership in the context of Cyprus, by involving school principals' both espoused values and values in action coupled with their leadership styles.Design/methodology/approachData were drawn from a combination of methods, both quantitative (235 questionnaires) and qualitative (5 case studies), thus facilitating a more reliable and valid exploration of school principals' espoused values and values in action coupled with their leadership styles.FindingsSchool principals' values in action may be filtered by particular factors, which affect them, when they try to promote their espoused values during their leadership practice. In general, the findings indicated that practicing authentic leadership might be, in fact, impeded by specific factors connected to the broader context in which school principals operate.Research limitations/implicationsIt is not possible to draw concrete conclusions on relation between the espoused values and values in action, as only five school principals took part during the second research phase. However, in this study, the quantitative (first phase) and qualitative (second phase) research were combined in order to produce a general picture, with regards to the practice of authentic leadership.Originality/valueThe study of values has received an extensive research interest lately. In this study, it was approached collectively and cohesively by taking into consideration the differentiation between espoused values and values in action.

The relationship between education and organizational financial efficiency can be described as tense and ambiguous. Therefore, issues of educational leadership inspired by models stemming from the ...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore a broader understanding of the role of Cypriot school principals’ personal identities, through a values system perspective, when exercising their leadership. Design/methodology/approach A multicase study methodology was followed with five school principals, representing five different leadership styles. In each case, an in-depth investigation of the school principal’s personal identity was undertaken. School principals’ personal values were explored during interviews, staff meetings and daily activities observations, as well as through the use of the think-aloud protocol method. This study utilized the Schwartz Theory of Basic Human Values, as well as the Pashiardis–Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Framework, as the guiding theoretical framework. Findings School principals’ personal identities in Cyprus seem to influence, to some extent, their daily leadership practice. However, particular factors associated with the context in which they live (social identity) and work (professional identity), seemed to be affecting the personal values embedded throughout their personal identities. Research limitations/implications Five school principals are not enough to make generalizations on the relationships between leadership styles and values. However, through this paper, the authors sought to provide examples on how school principals’ personal identities influence their leadership practice. Practical implications The findings highlight the important role and attention to school principals’ personal identities, beyond the core management and leadership courses. The findings also shed light on the importance of looking more closely at contextual elements “outside” and “inside” the school and to what extent these could influence school principals’ personal identities. Originality/value This paper offers insights into school principals’ personal identities, through a values system perspective, and how these personal identities influence their leadership practice.

Policy makers increasingly acknowledge that problems and challenges arising at the school level should be resolved on site. At the same time, the political expectation to delegate more responsibility to the individual school is rather heavily contrasted with the weak knowledge about how this new public management approach can be translated into successful leadership practices. Thus, considering that there is a close relationship between context and leadership, principal preparation programmes should be guided by a deeper examination of contextual factors. Against this background, we aim to critically examine existing views of practitioners and researchers on the challenge of establishing more context-sensitive school leadership preparation programmes in an era of New Public Management in Education. In doing so, we introduce the Swedish Model of principal preparation as an example for a more context-sensitive leadership preparation program. To that end, we argue that a differentiated perspective about contextual conditions and their role as facilitators or obstacles to effective leadership must be further explored. Moreover, school leaders should be encouraged to consider the relevance of such approaches to their own needs.

Purpose– Although school autonomy has been a matter of great interest during the last decades and several relevant measures have been implemented toward this end, the relation between school autonomy and school effectiveness has not been examined thoroughly. The purpose of this paper is to explore this relation and to propose an effective school autonomy model for Cyprus, a small European country with a highly centralized educational system. The suggested model indicates which decisions (related to various administrative, financial, academic, pedagogical and human resources matters) must be made at school level, which decisions can be made partly from the school with a higher level of control from the ministry and which decisions have to be made exclusively by a central authority, in order to enhance school effectiveness.Design/methodology/approach– An unusual methodological design is followed, using scenarios to examine hypothetical situations. Cypriot headteachers’ job satisfaction and work-related stress is examined in the case of full autonomy and in the opposite scenario of very limited autonomy. The results from this phase of the study lead to the design of the suggested school autonomy model, which is then tested in terms of effectiveness through a third scenario. The scenarios are given in questionnaires and the sample includes 300 out of a population of 350 primary school headteachers of Cyprus.Findings– The findings of the study suggest that headteachers’ job satisfaction and work-related stress is affected by the level of school autonomy that characterizes an educational system. The most effective scenario for the case of Cyprus does not refer to the existing situation of very limited autonomy, neither to the opposite scenario of full autonomy. The most effective scenario refers to the suggested model of school autonomy where all decisions related to various academic, managerial, financial and human resource matters are taken at school level, except for the decisions related to teaching materials and textbooks, teacher placements, promotions, payroll and dismissals. For these decisions the guidance, support and/or control from the educational authorities have to be enhanced.Research limitations/implications– In this study school effectiveness is examined through the headteachers’ job satisfaction and stress as the dependent variable, and not through the conventional student achievement variable. A part of the existing literature suggests that these variables affect school effectiveness in an indirect way. Taking into consideration student achievement was not possible for the case of Cyprus, since the only scenario currently existing refers to very limited or no school autonomy. Therefore, it is not possible to compare the academic results of students coming from schools with different levels of autonomy.Practical implications– The methodological approach of the study can be followed in other contexts as well, in order to design an effective school autonomy model for a different educational system, district or school. Scenarios can also be used to test and make corrections for a suggested educational reform, before this is implemented, in order to avoid waste of time and/or financial resources.Originality/value– The value of this study first lies in its attempt to design a school autonomy model, based on all the educational decisions and matters that can be affected from a school autonomy reform; this became possible through an extensive literature review. Second the study, does not only support some suggestions based on the results, but also tests the effectiveness of the suggestions before these are implemented, following the unusual methodological approach of scenarios. Moreover, the relation between school autonomy and school effectiveness has not been examined thoroughly in the existing literature and some conflicting opinions exist. The findings of the study can help us gain a better understanding of the above relation.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to explore direct and indirect relationships between Leadership and Student Citizenship Outcomes in Cyprus middle schools. In the case of indirect effects the mediating role of School Academic Optimism and Instructional Quality was examined. Method: The specific study adopted a value-added quantitative design. Student achievement data were collected at the beginning and end of the term during which the subject of Citizenship Education was taught. Students also provided data about the quality of instruction, whereas teachers provided data about leadership and school academic optimism. Overall, a multistage sample of 20 middle schools, 114 classes, and 1,596 students participated in the current study. Multilevel modelling and single-level regression techniques were used to identify the relationships between the main variables of this study. Findings: A number of contextual student variables and one classroom variable were found to have a direct effect on citizenship outcomes. Neither School Leadership nor School Academic Optimism were found to have any direct or indirect effect. However, school leadership, along with a number of contextual variables, was found to have statistically significant effects on School Academic Optimism. Implications: The findings highlight the importance of the learning domain when searching for effectiveness factors at the classroom and school level. It is suggested that the subject of citizenship education is upgraded and principals as well as teachers are substantially supported to promote the subject goals.

This paper examines the school of the future, aiming to identify and aid the implementation of the most desired version of school autonomy in Cyprus. More specifically, the study initially forecasts the areas of financial decisions that the school of the future might autonomously manage, identifies the negative effects that may appear along the way and seeks support measures that could enhance an autonomous school’s efficiency and effectiveness. Moreover, after both the probable and the desired future emerge, the paper proceeds in examining the reasons causing the divergence between them, as well as ways in which the two futures may be better aligned.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a piece of research concerning the time management of Cypriot primary school principals. Time management refers to the interrelation of five independent variables: the various tasks principals perform, their frequency, the degree of accomplishment of those tasks, the use of time management techniques and time management style (from monochronic to polychronic). Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative methods were used (questionnaire) together with qualitative methods (observation, interviews, collection of artifacts), in order to obtain richer, deeper data and view multiple angles of the same phenomenon. Findings – The results of cluster analysis indicated three different time management profiles/types of principals: The Centralized Monochrons, the Procrastinative Managers and the Decentralized Polychrons. One basic conclusion is that the principals who adopt the practices of the Decentralized Polychrons manage better their time. Practical implications – The three time management profiles of principals are described, analysed, and discussed in order to reach conclusions about the selection, training, and placement of school principals. Through the description of the everyday practice of Cypriot principals useful information concerning school leadership and management are also provided. Finally, the conclusions of this research may prove useful for principals, because they are provided with the opportunity to rethink and evaluate their own time management and effectiveness of their daily practices. Originality/value – The creation and description of the three time management profiles is the main contribution of this piece of research, since there are not any time management types-profiles registered in the bibliography, which were produced with the use of scientific instruments and procedures.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into successful secondary school principals in Cyprus, focusing on identifying their actions and behaviours through the adoption of a systemic view of the quality of leadership in school organizations from multiple stakeholders (i.e. self, parents, students and teachers).Design/methodology/approachThis article is the sequel to another paper on successful principalship which was written about successful primary school principals in Cyprus. A multi‐case study methodology was followed where data were gathered from a wide range of school stakeholders such as the principal, teachers, students and parents employing a common, semi‐structured interview protocol developed specifically for the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) which was translated into Greek and adopted to Cyprus’ educational context.FindingsThis paper argues that the principals exhibit behaviors and actions such as developing relationships, being committed, being visionary and promoting a collaborative learning environment which, in combination with their passion, devotion and commitment, lead to successful principalship.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into the implications for principals’ training by informing policies for recruitment and retention leading to the designing of more effective leadership training programs.

The purpose of this article is twofold as it aims to compliment the effort of identifying the personal qualities and professional competencies generic to effective school leaders and to contribute to the comparison of effective leadership in diverse cultural contexts. Five examples of successful school principals in rural primary schools in Cyprus are described as part of the International Successful School Principals Project (ISSPP). Purposive sampling was used in a multi-perspective research methodology employing a semi-structured interview protocol. The findings of the case studies formed the basis of a framework of successful leadership according to which people-centered leadership, clearly communicated values and visions, a strong emphasis on the promotion of learning, the use of networked leadership as well as the creative management of competing values are all vital constituents of a successful leadership. The implications are significant both for practitioners and for policymakers since the framework demonstrates that successful leadership is effectuated through the realization of multiple intertwined leadership domains especially with regards to the specific context of rural primary schools in Cyprus.

In this conceptual paper, an exploration of the leadership gap between theory and praxis, which manifests itself in three different kinds of fissure in current thinking and research in the field of educational leadership, management and administration, will be undertaken. It is argued that there is a public image/communication gap, which current research and thinking in educational leadership needs to fulfill. This leads to the second issue, which is the gap between what is said (the rhetoric) and what is done (the praxis). Leaders must strive to reduce the gap between rhetoric and reality. This leads us to the third gap, which is the values gap. The world is indeed full of antithetical and oftentimes conflicting and dilemmatic situations in which morality and ethical behaviour play an important role. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to provide an in‐depth exploration of the three gaps and in doing so to provide answers as to how to narrow these gaps in order for school leaders to improve their practic...

Life is lived in an era characterised by complexity and instability. Pedagogical ideals or educational goals are usually determined based on the socio‐political and cultural period in which people find themselves at a specific point in its history. Then, in what ways do people train their principals to be models of and act in line with those democratic values and ideals that aim at fostering good citizens? Furthermore, how do these goal statements fare in relation to the moral purpose of schools and especially focus on the social goals of schools? These and similar issues are dealt with in this paper. More specifically, there is a description of the major restructuring initiatives towards school empowerment and democracy introduced in the Cyprus education system. Further, an attempt is made in order to show how these changes have affected (or not) the education system with respect to personnel management, the power of the centre, democracy and the curriculum, and democracy and inspection.

Offers new insight in the case of educational evaluation in Greece by presenting the history and the current state of school effectiveness research (SER). From an historical perspective, presents the beginnings and the two generations of SER. A number of essential studies are reviewed. From a comparative perspective, examines the current advances of SER in many other parts of the world. Using these approaches, a number of theoretical and statistical issues are clarified. Examines the policy implications of SER in France, England and Greece. Expresses a number of thoughts for the future of SER and its contribution to the issue of educational evaluation.

This paper reports a case study and comparative analysis of courses offered at the University of Cyprus. Four courses were surveyed using the Learning Improvement Strategies Questionnaire (LISQ). Three issues were investigated during analysis; the cross-cultural reliability of the LISQ instrument, the quality of four courses in the University of Cyprus, and how these courses compared with those at the University of Auckland. It was shown that the LISQ appears to be a reliable method of quickly indicating the quality of a one-semester course, the four courses were perceived to be of a uniformly high standard, and, they appear to compare favourably with equivalent courses in New Zealand. It is concluded that the LISQ can serve as an effective part of both summative and formative forms of evaluation.

Explores the perceptions of elementary school teachers regarding their principals and their leadership styles. The underlying and guiding) assumption for this project was that the effectiveness of a leader mainly depended on how others view him/her as a leader. As indicated in the results, teachers have a positive attitude towards their principals in general, but there are some areas where principals need to improve, such as, personnel management and professional growth and development. Furthermore, the bureaucratic and highly centralized structure of the Cyprus educational system proved to be ineffective and should be abandoned. Principals must be given motives for self‐improvement.

This article reports on a study which sought to identify the characteristics and behaviours of effective primary school principals in Cyprus. Forty-nine principals were identified by a panel of inspectors from the Ministry as excellent in their jobs. The researcher spent between 10 and 15 hours with each of these principals. Preliminary findings from the interview data he collected indicate that effective principals in Cyprus: (1) have a great love and ambition for their profession; (2) have pride in the national heritage and traditions of their country; (3) are deep thinkers and constant learners; (4) are good administrators; (5) will often take risks by opposing the will of the Ministry; and, (6) are good managers of time.

Provides an overview of some of the findings of a recently completed study of school choice in 33 local schools which may be indicative of the effect of an increase in the marketisation of schools. Since it is unlikely that debate over parental choice can be settled by theoretical argument alone and it may also be too early to understand the full implications of the relevant recent government reforms in the UK, results from research in other sectors of education can be used in the interim. Presents research which is partly based on a limited market model of cheap fee‐paying schools. This market has been established for a long time, and so some of the benefits or damage caused by markets in education may already be observable in operation.

The classical university is under attack because of the perception that it has not kept pace with technological advances in society and that it no longer serves societal needs. Therefore, as the argument goes, the university must change. This article, that is divided into two main parts, tackles these issues. The first part is a brief presentation of Cyprus and of its higher education system. The second part is a presentation of three dilemmas facing higher education: general versus specialized higher education, elite versus mass higher education, and the financing of higher education.

In this chapter, school climate variables are employed in order to explore school principals’ influence on student achievement through the Pashiardis-Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Framework. The aim is to identify the mechanisms through which leadership influences student learning. For the purposes of the LISA project, a number of school climate variables were used as mediating variables between the principal’s leadership styles and student achievement. All analyses pointed towards a model comprising seven such mediating factors. The seven school climate factors were labeled as follows: Professional Development Opportunities, Evaluation and Feedback, Teacher Commitment, Parental Involvement, Teaching and Learning Practices, Student-Teacher Interactions, and Student Expectations. Then, an analysis was performed that examined the degree to which school leadership styles reliably predicted school climate variables. The findings suggest that the Instructional, the Structuring, and the Entrepreneurial leadership styles are utilized by school principals in order to enhance student achievement.

In this chapter, a thorough description of the methodological approach for both the LISA and Pro-LEAD projects is offered. First, the rationale as to why a mixed-methods approach was utilized is presented for both projects. Then, a step-by-step description of how the projects were implemented is given, providing some insights from the cooperation between researchers and practitioners. Next, for the LISA project, a detailed description of the use of advanced data analysis techniques is presented, which enabled us in the testing and the subsequent validation of the Pashiardis-Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Framework. Then, for the Pro-LEAD project, a presentation of the combination of questionnaire and think-aloud data, which provided converging evidence for the different beliefs individuals possess, is given in detail. The use of think-aloud protocols is stressed as a new way of investigating leadership issues in order to produce a richer set of data.

In this chapter, a series of statistical analyses were carried out in order to examine the extent to which the data from the LISA project supported the Pashiardis-Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Framework. First, descriptive statistics are presented in order to acquaint the reader with the kind of data we used from the school teachers who participated in this piece of research. Then, a description of the main findings is offered through the analyses which were conducted in order to predict school performance level from the relevant leadership style. The theoretical framework was supported and validated in all the European Union participating countries with all five first-order factors contributing to the leadership radius. These included the (1) Instructional Style, (2) Participative Style, (3) Personnel Development Style, (4) Entrepreneurial Style, and (5) Structuring Style. From the analyses, it seems that the Entrepreneurial and Structuring Leadership Styles are perceived as the predominant leadership styles that school principals use in the participating countries.

In this chapter, an examination of the main results of the LISA and the Pro-LEAD projects together is presented. The argument made is that school leaders have a measurable, mostly indirect influence on learning outcomes. After the validation process of the Pashiardis-Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Framework was finished, it became evident from the analyses that the Instructional, the Structuring, and the Entrepreneurial Leadership Styles are necessary ingredients when school principals decide what leadership mix to use in their effort to influence students’ achievement. It seems that school principals’ perception is that an Entrepreneurial Leadership Style, that is, an outward-looking style, entails more involvement of external forces and agents who will monitor and support the work of the school. It seems that this style is also connected with relativist epistemological beliefs. In any case, the argument is presented that the “generic ingredients” which make up school leadership seem to be known and global; however, the specific mix seems to be increasingly local and situational.

In this chapter, an exploration of a new cocktail leadership mix among school principals’ epistemological beliefs and leadership practices in Cyprus is undertaken. The main objective of this chapter is to explore the relationship between the leadership styles school principals adopt and their epistemological worldviews within the contextual and governance structures in which they operate. To achieve this goal, a presentation and discussion of the results of the Pro-LEAD main study (methodology was described in Chap. 3) is offered. Again, as with the LISA study, the Pashiardis-Brauckmann Holistic Leadership Framework was utilized as the guiding model through which the relationship between school leaders’ epistemological beliefs and their leadership styles were explored. In summary, the findings showed that there was a relationship between the Entrepreneurial and Participative Leadership Styles and the Relativism Epistemological Worldviews. The practical applications of these results are discussed specifically with regard to their implications for the design of evidence-based school leadership training programs.

Suggests that, in today’s world of uncertainty, it is of vital importance for an individual or an educational institution to stay abreast of environmental changes which may affect their future. Presents up‐to‐date information on environmental scanning and how it can be used to benefit educational organizations. For modern educational institutions, it is necessary to establish a systematic method of collecting information regarding external influences on educational institutions. However, it is quite difficult for any individual to be knowledgeable about all occurrences that may affect an institution, and it often requires special expertise to realize how an event or trend might affect an institution in the future. An institution must tailor specific sources of external information, devise a method to collect the information, and use the information effectively in the planning process and in building the future. Argues that environmental scanning has proved to be successful for school systems and should be accorded the importance it deserves. Furthermore, scanning provides all individuals with the opportunity to contribute to the strategic planning process which is of vital importance for the survival of an organization.

Teachers can take a greater role in the overall success of the school when they commit to being active participants in the decision‐making process. Moreover, teachers need to feel they have more to offer to the school than just teaching within their classroom. Suggests that schools must understand that the entire system will benefit when teachers play an active role in controlling their work environment. Finally, everyone must be provided with as much recent research on participatory decision‐making processes as possible before implementation can be achieved successfully. At the same time, specific training should also be provided.

This chapter aims to explore how successful leadership for diversity is defined, negotiated, and addressed in selected policy documents and culturally diverse schools in Norway , the USA, and Cyprus . The reanalysis of leadership practice is based on data from the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) case studies. We will discuss how leadership for diversity is enacted in the ISSPP schools and explore how principals negotiate the balance between honouring student cultures and emphasizing student learning and achievement. These practices are analysed through the theoretical frameworks of culturally responsive leadership (Ladson-Billings 1995a, b; Johnson 2006, 2007) and leadership for democratic education (Moller 2006; Vedoy and Moller 2007). We argue that establishing a dichotomy between an emphasis on social justice and academics is inappropriate, but a narrow conception of student achievement may privilege certain social and cultural groups and marginalize others. Therefore, self-reflexivity is demanded, and in particular in terms of foregrounding notions of power. Finding a balance between honouring student home cultures and emphasizing student learning outcomes does not easily lend itself to quick fixes.