Teachers are expected to influence the development of certain attributes, including courtesy, discipline, accountability, and diligence among learners. These attributes echo the basic premise of the child-friendly school framework (CFS) and the ideology of sustainable learning environments. In order for teachers to contribute towards efficacy in schools and in instructional activities, studies indicate that they should be satisfied. However, it has been revealed that in some Lesotho secondary schools, teachers are not happy with their jobs. The reported teachers’ discontent adversely affects their commitment and enthusiasm. In order to reveal the causes of teacher job dissatisfaction in some Lesotho secondary schools, this study adopted a narrative qualitative approach design. This approach was ideal as it enabled 10 purposively identified teachers in Leribe and Maseru to freely narrate their lived experiences. The Herzberg duality theory (HDT) and the Transformational leadership theory (TLT) were adopted as the philosophical underpinning for this study. The inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data generated for this study. The findings suggest that teacher job dissatisfaction in some Lesotho secondary schools is caused by factors such as the use of resources for personal gain, lack of maintenance, intolerance, and habitual absenteeism among principals. The findings further suggest that strategies including teacher involvement, impartiality, and external school auditing could reduce teacher job dissatisfaction and instead create the opposite effect.

The effectiveness of an educational system heavily relies on teachers' commitment. In Cameroon, despite government efforts, concerns about teacher engagement persist. This study, based on Meyer and Allen’s Organisational Commitment Model, examined how leadership approaches influence teacher commitment in secondary schools in Kupe-Muanenguba Division. The research focused on democratic, transformational, and transactional leadership styles. Using a survey design with concurrent triangulation, data were collected from 248 teachers and 354 students across six government schools. Teachers completed the “Teacher Insights on Management Approach to Leadership Questionnaire” (TIMAL-Q), while students used the “Student Perception of Educator Commitment Questionnaire” (SPEC-Q). Semi-structured interviews with principals and vice principals supplemented the data. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts, proportions, and Pearson Correlation, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Findings revealed strong positive correlations between democratic (r=.980, p=.028) and transformational (r=.980, p=.028) leadership styles and teacher commitment, suggesting these approaches significantly enhance engagement. The transactional style also showed a positive correlation (r=.800, p=.014), though to a lesser extent. Qualitative data highlighted practices aligning with these leadership styles. The study underscores the importance of democratic and transformational leadership in fostering teacher commitment, especially in challenging environments. Recommendations include integrating these approaches to improve teacher engagement in quantitative and affective domains, leveraging transactional leadership for short-term goals, and providing targeted leadership training for school managers. This comprehensive strategy aims to boost teacher commitment and performance despite infrastructural constraints.

School leadership in Nepal is shaped by sociocultural, institutional, and resource-related challenges. This study fills a gap in the literature by examining leadership dynamics within this unique and diverse educational context. Guided by resilient leadership theory as a referent, this qualitative case study, grounded in a constructivist paradigm, involved semi-structured interviews with public high school principals to investigate their workplace challenges and coping strategies. The findings reveal challenges including sociocultural and gender biases, teachers’ resistance to modern pedagogical practices, and resource limitations. They navigate these challenges through strategies of humility, intrinsic motivation, and collaborative partnerships. The findings highlight the need for systemic reforms to promote gender equity, enhance professional development, and increase resource allocation. This study presents a resilient and adaptive leadership framework for policymakers, emphasising the need to implement gender-inclusive policies and leadership training programs to address the challenges faced by principals in their diverse educational contexts.

This study examines the characteristics, challenges, and strategies of school leadership in Cambodian high schools, with a focus on leadership in resource-constrained settings. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research investigates how principals in six northwestern provinces implement leadership practices to improve educational outcomes. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 21 principals and analyzed via thematic analysis. Key findings reveal that visionary approaches, collaborative cultures, data-driven decision-making, and resilience characterize effective leadership. Challenges such as limited resources, variable teacher quality, and insufficient professional development hinder progress. The study contributes to educational leadership theory by highlighting the critical role of tailored leadership development programs and resource management in transforming underperforming schools. Practical implications include recommendations for policymakers to expand leadership training, enhance community engagement, and prioritize funding for underperforming schools. This research offers valuable insights for improving leadership in post conflict and resource-limited educational contexts.

This study investigates the role of educational leadership in supporting student mental health and promoting equity within schools. It examines three leadership models, transformational, trauma-informed, and equity-focused leadership, and their effectiveness in fostering inclusive school environments. By synthesizing recent empirical studies, this review identifies strategies that enhance student engagement, emotional resilience, and academic performance. The findings reveal that schools with proactive leadership in mental health experience improved student well-being, reduced behavioral challenges, and higher academic success. However, barriers such as resource constraints, inconsistent policy implementation, and a lack of specialized training for school leaders hinder the full integration of mental health initiatives. These challenges disproportionately affect marginalized student populations, underscoring the need for leadership approaches that address systemic inequities in education. This review emphasizes the importance of embedding mental health within broader school policies and practices. By prioritizing psychological safety, fostering strong school-community partnerships, and ensuring equitable access to mental health resources, educational leaders can create sustainable, supportive learning environments. The study offers practical recommendations for policymakers and school administrators to strengthen leadership practices that bridge the gap between academic achievement and student well-being. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on student mental health and equity, advocating for school environments that nurture both academic and emotional growth.

Teacher leadership has gained increasing recognition worldwide as a crucial component of educational reform and improvement efforts. As a concept, it is not new; its evolution spans several decades, yet there is still dissonance around it. This is especially true in the Greek educational scene, where teacher leadership research is limited and fragmented. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the factors contributing to and impeding the evolution of teachers' leadership in Greek schools. More specifically, we were interested in knowing what Greek in-service teachers with informal leadership positions think about teacher leadership prospects within the Greek educational context, what conditions they think enhance or impede teacher leadership development in Greek schools, and what opportunities they think there are for developing teacher leaders. A sample of 12 experienced in-service teacher leaders from different educational specializations and geographical regions in Greece participated in the study. A grounded theory methodology was employed to analyze the data collected through focus group interviews with experienced in-service teachers. The findings of this study include references to personal and interpersonal challenges that create barriers to the evolution of teachers as leaders in Greek schools, as well as administrative impediments and a lack of support for prospective teacher leaders. The participants reported opportunities within the Greek educational system for teachers to evolve as leaders through targeted and consistent professional development programs and school improvement initiatives. Implications for research and practice are drawn from these findings.

The transitioning of Teacher Training Colleges into Colleges of Education as tertiary institutions by Act 847 is significant for ensuring strategic management change. This research investigated the strategic management of Dambai College of Education in the transitional change. The study adapted the methodological framework of the “Theory of Organisational Change” to ascertain leadership strategies that worked well in contributing to rapid positive transformation and their impact and those potential strategies to further improve the College. The study was qualitative with an interpretive paradigm and nominalist ontological and epistemological stance with participatory inquiry design. Homogeneous purposive sampling was used to select 15 participants for data collection. Data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire. Thematic analyses were done. Findings under strategies that worked include effective governance, recruitment, continuous professional development, Internally Generated Funds (IGF), merit-based remuneration of staff, and enhancement of physical infrastructure. The impact made includes boosting the morale of staff, students, traditional authorities, and other stakeholders; ownership of responsibility; improved learning outcomes; more spaces and equipment for effective work; and the College's improved outlook. Strategies to adopt include more stakeholder engagement and integration of technology. The research concluded that the college has transformed positively and needs to further improve its developmental agenda by adopting hybrid change models.

Instructional leadership is one of the central research trends in school management and leadership. The period from 2002 to 2023 marks the transition from theoretical research to practical research. This study aims to find out research trends on Instructional Leadership from 2002 to 2023, thereby finding new research directions and effective applications in the practice of Instructional Leadership associated with different school contexts at different local, national, and regional. Research directions also need to be expanded with a larger scope associated with educational innovation in the 4.0 revolution. Using the bibliometric analysis method with the support of VOSviewer software, 995 types of research consisting of journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and books were extracted from the Scopus database. Research results show that there are differences in research on Instructional Leadership in developed and developing countries in different socio-cultural contexts. There was the most significant growth from 2015-2017 in the volume, growth trends, and regional distribution of global IL press products. Leading Authors and IL Research Journals from the US and developing countries. Empirical studies follow three main directions: a school leader with the role of Instructional leadership, scholars who have focused on different aspects of Instructional leadership, and the actions in the instructional leadership models. Instructional Leadership from 2002 to 2023 focuses on teachers as well as student activities.

The pathway for women to reach the superintendency in the United States is shaped by entrenched systems that resist progress. Women are often unfairly blamed for their lack of representation, which then perpetuates the notion that they are less suited for leadership. However, women are proving their capabilities by dismantling societal barriers, drawing on, and sharing their lived experiences, and transforming perceptions of female leadership. This study investigated the lived experiences of five female superintendents to reveal the specific actions and strategies that empowered them to achieve the superintendency. Utilizing Seidman’s three-interview approach, data were gathered through individual interviews, which were then analyzed thematically. The participants successfully navigated societal challenges by harnessing their unique strengths to influence, mobilize, and build strategic alliances. They seized key opportunities in their journeys and cultivated their skills, talents, and potential. The women did not merely adapt to existing structures; they actively created new opportunities for themselves, their communities, and future generations.