School Leader Autonomy – a Systematic Review
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21313643 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniel Erik Nordholm (0000-0002-1809-408X, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden), Maria Jarl (0000-0002-0016-9282, University of Gothenburg), Wieland Wermke (0000-0003-3699-8610, Stockholm University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Administration Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-161X • E-ISSN: 1552-3519 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0013161x251349562 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 40 |
Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to map and synthesize the literature of school leader autonomy (SLA) worldwide. Approach: The analytical work followed the PRISMA- model for conducting and reporting systematic reviews, generating 113 articles ( n = 113) for final analysis. Realist synthesis protocols were also developed for each article to attain rigor in the analytical work. Findings: Aside from descriptive details of the current body of research, the analysis reveals that some decisions by administrators and school leaders (e.g., on curriculum, instruction, administration, budgeting, organization) are addressed more frequently, while others (e.g., on values, democracy, racism, student well-being) have been more sparsely addressed. In research focused on actors and their relations, principals are the most researched actors while few studies have focused explicitly on superintendents. A significant amount of research has instead approached SLA as a relational phenomenon that takes place between principals and other actors. Research has also addressed contextual particularities, but the number of articles that systematically consider the relationship between such particularities and SLA is limited. Additionally, few studies employ statistical modeling allowing robust knowledge of the impact of increased SLA. Instead, most use school leaders’ perceptions. Implications: Global trends have transformed school systems into ones characterized by decentralization combined with increased inspection and accountability mechanisms, constituting a complex landscape for school leaders across national, regional and local contexts to navigate. This article demonstrates that SLA is a key concept for understanding the complex relations between education policy and education practice
The Fourth Way
The Return of Large-Scale Reform
Distributed leadership and the Malaysia Education Blueprint
Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership
Balancing trust and control through dialogue meetings in Norwegian school district governance
Autonomy, leadership and leadership development in England’s school system
Marketing and School Choice
Comparing principal autonomy in time and space
Using standards to evaluate accountability policy in context
From inspection to quality
Inside de- and re-centralisation
Privatising education, privatising education policy, privatising educational research
Reforming Again, Again, and Again
Teachers' Decision-Making Power and School Conflict
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |