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Whereas Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a frequently applied professional learning tool in education, their use is often limited to an application among (a) teachers and (b) within-schools. This article contributes to the nascent research evidence on PLC usage for principal professional learning. As outcomes align with PLCs' phased development, this article grasps the learning processes that unfold, the catalyst states that emerge and the overarching role that a process coach can adopt in this collective learning effort. Three distinct PLCs comprising of Flemish secondary school principals were systematically observed over the course of one to two years. In interviews and questionnaires, members (n = 14) reported on their experience with PLC activities, group dynamics and their personal professional well-being. Networked learning proved a worthwhile method as positive outcomes of PLC participation were predominantly found in a perceived augmentation of professional well-being and the acquisition of inspiration and ideas. Actual co-construction among principal participants appeared harder to establish as several organisational, group developmental and leadership prerequisites were found to apply. As this study was based on three in-depth case studies, it remains to be confirmed whether its conclusions apply to all school principals in Flanders and can be generalised to their counterparts internationally.

Throughout the past decades, the profession of school leader has become more complex. To deal with these increasing complexities and the challenges school leaders encounter, it is important that school leaders are provided with effective professional development. However, research on school leaders' learning and professional development, and especially on school leaders' group reflective learning, is still rather limited. Based on findings of a few previous studies considering school leaders' professional development, a group reflective learning programme was developed. The current qualitative study unravels school leaders' reactions with regard to group reflective learning programmes through interviewing the 19 participants of the programme. The study of the school leaders' reactions shows that school leaders set particular preconditions for group reflective learning, that they value recognition and support of fellow school leaders, and that they appreciate the programme because they were able to learn from their own, and their fellow school leaders' daily-life experiences. Group reflective programmes have the potential to develop knowledge, skills and/or attitudes and seem to satisfy the statement that school leaders need to be provided with appropriate professional development programmes to prevent job related psychological issues.

Leadership for Learning (LFL) recently emerged as a comprehensive framework integrating aspects of theories thus far applied in school leadership research. LFL provides the principles for practice believed to effectively deal with the increasing complexity and expectations in education. Via semi-structured interviews this paper seeks to deepen our understanding of the leadership practices and beliefs among principals in Flemish secondary education and assess the occurrence of LFL in practice. Due to busy schedules, little time remains for principals to continuously focus on learning and teaching. This issue might be resolved by strengthening learning climates, sharing leadership, and fostering dialogue and a sense of shared accountability.

Research considering the effects of leadership training and development is underresearched. However, leadership behaviour can generate greater levels of performance and satisfaction. In this study, the effect of a group reflective learning programme for school leaders is examined. The study questions whether leadership development, using a group reflective learning programme that focuses on coaching skills, can influence teacher perceptions of the organizational learning climate. Gaining a deeper insight in factors influencing organizational learning climate is important because organizational learning climate is associated with job motivation, job satisfaction, positive working conditions and the optimizing of training outcomes. Hence, a positive organizational learning climate can contribute to organizational performance, in the case of primary education delivering quality education to pupils. Based on a sample of 289 teachers, it turned out that school leaders' participation in the group reflective learning programme resulted in a significant increase of teachers' perceptions of the organizational learning climate. The results are inspiring for scholars, policy makers and practitioners.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer insight into school leaders' and teachers' perspectives on leadership behaviour and its impact on their mutual relationships. Research papers that include perspectives from both school leaders and teachers are relatively scarce in the field of education. However, it is important to take account of both perspectives because if they align, school leaders can be expected to be more successful. Moreover, positive teacher perceptions about school leaders result in lower levels of teacher burnout and enhanced teacher collaboration. Design/methodology/approach: The current study employed qualitative data drawn from 24 primary schools in Belgium. The data set was assembled from 24 interviews with school leaders and 22 focus groups with teachers. The research analyses the interviews and focus groups from an inductive approach in order to let theory emerge, to refine existing theories in the field of education and to get an in-depth understanding of agreements and disagreements in the perspectives of school leaders and teachers. Findings: The results show that school leaders and teachers perceive school leadership principally as relation- and task-oriented. However, there are differences in the perceptions about the subcategories of relation-oriented behaviour between school leaders and teachers. School leaders refer to consulting with members when making decisions and providing feedback. On the other hand, teachers indicate the importance of support and encouragement and recognition. The perceptions of the relationships between school leaders and teachers seem to match, with both valuing trust, openness and contribution. Originality/value: This study addresses the relative scarcity of research relating to school leaders' and teachers' perspectives regarding school leadership. The study clarifies concepts in order to facilitate further research on school leaders' effectiveness.