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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.

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how school principals combine instructional and entrepreneurial aspects of leadership in their effort to build capacity for student learning. Four cases of successful school principals in rural primary schools in Cyprus are described as part of the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). Purposive sampling was used in a multiperspective research methodology employing a semistructured interview protocol. The findings of the case studies formed the basis of a framework of successful school leadership, according to which instructional and entrepreneurial leadership are two vital and complementary constituents of successful leadership. The specific framework holds unique importance since it illustrates that successful leadership can promote learning both within the school itself but also through the utilization of its wider environment. Findings suggest that practitioners and policymakers need to think and act in a systemic manner by taking ...

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.

This chapter surveys the professional development of principals in Cyprus , Norway , and the United States with a particular focus on how cultural diversity issues are addressed in leadership preparation programs. Our analysis indicates that principal preparation (particularly preparation for diverse schools) varies in scope, organization, and approach across these three countries, ranging from a highly centralized system where a handful of in-service courses are offered by the Ministry of Education after appointment as a school leader (Cyprus ); to a proposed national system of university-based courses (Norway ); and finally wide-ranging university-based programs with increasing theoretical work on equity and social justice issues but a paucity of well-researched models (USA). We recommend the development of contextually specific leadership preparation programs to help aspiring school leaders learn to be culturally responsive and demonstrate strong advocacy for students, parents, and communities who have been marginalized.

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.