A systematic review of the International School Leadership Development Network, social justice strand research, 2010–2021

Abstract

This systematic review provides an overview of findings gleaned from the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN) cross-comparative research published since 2010. The purpose of this review considers outcomes linked to cross-national context and culture, rather than in-country outcomes linked to local context and respondent differences. The research question which guided this study was: How does ISLDN cross-national comparative research inform us about socially just leadership? All studies, without regard to country or the macro policies under which the schools operated, centered on the importance of the school principal as the impetus for the extent to which social justice was practiced. The principal's innate value system, the influence of the principal's biography, and the fidelity with which the principal implemented policy while meeting the needs of all children carried more weight for social justice than the macro and meso levels.