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- Vol 6 PE: App E
- Vol 6 RE: Chapters 1, 5
collective leadershipdistributed influenceteacher motivationworking conditionsorganisational variablesshared directionschool achievementparticipatory decision-makingJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
Leithwood and Mascall investigate collective leadership using 2,570 teacher surveys from 90 schools and three-year language and mathematics achievement data. Respondents estimated influence exercised by principals, school teams, teachers, parents, and students.
Key ideas
Path analyses found that collective leadership explained a significant portion of between-school achievement variation, largely through teacher motivation, working conditions, and organisational variables. Principals retained the greatest influence at all achievement levels, yet higher-achieving schools attributed more influence to a wider set of participants, especially teams, parents, and students. The authors describe influence as potentially expansive: formal leaders can enable others’ participation without necessarily losing their own capacity. Collective leadership is not equivalent to every person deciding everything or to uncoordinated delegation. Distribution needs shared direction, expertise, supportive relationships, and structures connecting influence to teaching and learning.
Why it matters
Because the study is cross-sectional at the survey level and uses observational path modelling, associations do not establish that distributing leadership causes higher achievement; successful schools may also distribute influence more readily. The findings support examining who influences decisions, through what mechanisms, and with what effects on teachers and students.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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