Abstract:

Research on educational leadership is currently abundant, predominantly on which leadership practices have a higher impact on the development of the school organisation and on students’ learning. After decades of research, nowadays it is acknowledged that it is the combination of several leadership practices, from different leadership models, that contribute to the best impact possible: leadership for learning. Essentially, the combination of transformational leadership, instructional leadership and distributed leadership. Educational leadership stories commonly consist of narratives of school principals and, therefore, are an entry door to understand principals’ practices in their own voices. In the current study, researchers collected individual interviews focused on the life stories of 19 different public Portuguese principals, considered to be good principals (according to various criteria), as well as with many years of experience being school leaders.

Particularly, this paper focuses on:
(i) the participants’ leadership practices, and
(ii) their personal leadership resources.

Data analysis was carried out by two researchers working together using Nvivo11Pro Software and then verified by one other researcher. The analysis followed a semi-inductive qualitative process, as researchers intended to analyse practices and resources according to a prior theoretical framework by Kenneth Leithwood. So, leadership practices were analysed within five main and broad categories:
(i) to establish a mission and vision for the school;
(ii) to develop people and construct relations;
(iii) to reorganise the school in order to achieve a Professional Learning Community;
(iv) to manage and improve teaching and learning;
(v) to build accountability.

Personal leadership resources were codified under three types: cognitive, psychological and socio-emotional, also considering Leithwood proposal of analysis. Results point to similar practices amongst the participants, and also the personal resources enhanced by participants to be relevant for their job performance were similar. Specific practices that were mentioned by almost all the participants were: identify objectives, stimulate the development of professional skills, construct internal collaboration, provide active support to teaching and learning and create a sense of responsibility in the teaching and non-teaching staff. As for personal resources, all principals valued their communication abilities and active listening, and also critical thinking skills together with the ability to make decisions. However, personal resources were identified by principals as an area of development they need to explore and a training necessity. More specific and refined data concerning leadership practices and personal resources within each broader category will be explored in detail in this paper. Practical implications will also be discussed.

Keywords:

School leadership, Portuguese principals, personal leadership’ resources, principals’ practices.