Abstract:

School leadership has gained global recognition as a key driver of school improvement and student learning outcomes. Within the international literature, leadership is no longer understood merely as an administrative function but as a strategic lever for enhancing educational quality and organisational development. The Italian case, however, follows a distinctive trajectory shaped by a historically centralised education system that has only gradually moved towards institutional autonomy. The formal emergence of school leadership as both a policy concern and a field of research coincides with the decentralisation reforms of the late 1990s. Article 21 of Law 59/1997 granted schools legal status and organisational autonomy, while Legislative Decree 165/2001 established the role of the dirigente scolastico, assigning responsibility for the unitary management of schools, the coordination of human and financial resources, and accountability for educational outcomes. Notwithstanding these reforms, school leadership in Italy has developed within an institutional framework still marked by strong centralisation.

This study adopts a narrative literature review to examine the genesis and evolution of school leadership in Italy. This approach is particularly appropriate for investigating research domains characterised by conceptual diversity and interdisciplinary overlap, as it allows for the integration of heterogeneous sources and theoretical perspectives. The review draws on peer-reviewed articles, books, and book chapters identified through academic databases (Scopus, ERIC, Google Scholar), complemented by citation chaining and the analysis of relevant policy documents.The literature was analysed using Nvivo15 through a chronological-thematic lens to identify recurrent interpretative frameworks, key phases of development, and shifts in the understanding of leadership in relation to institutional reforms. Rather than aiming at exhaustive coverage, the review provides an interpretative synthesis of the most significant contributions, highlighting dominant themes, tensions, and research gaps in the Italian debate.

The literature identifies three main phases in the evolution of school leadership in Italy. In the pre-autonomy phase, principals primarily performed bureaucratic and administrative functions within collegial governance structures. In the managerial phase (late 1990s–early 2010s), following Law 59/1997 and Legislative Decree 165/2001, the role was redefined through managerial logics and accountability mechanisms. In the most recent phase (2010s–2025), leadership is increasingly conceptualised as relational and distributed, involving middle leadership roles and professional networks. Reforms such as Law 107/2015 and initiatives linked to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) have further contributed to the diffusion of leadership functions within schools.

A persistent structural paradox defines the current landscape: while schools have gained significant administrative and accounting responsibilities, key managerial functions, most notably teacher recruitment and staff allocation, remain under ministerial control. Furthermore, financial resources depend largely on central government transfers, with the state maintaining direct control over staff employment and salaries. Consequently, principals’ autonomy remains constrained, limiting the development of a fully autonomous professional model of school leadership.

Keywords:

School leadership, Educational governance, School autonomy, Leadership for learning, Italy.