Reviewing school leadership: from psychology to philosophy

ABSTRACT

Arguably the notion of the school leader as the all-important person in school improvement in England still holds sway, despite the development of a huge range of leadership theories and perspectives which suggest a broader contextual approach may be appropriate. Reflecting on the development of a MA course in leadership and management, this paper argues that a philosophical approach based on the later work of Wittgenstein is helpful. The starting point for the approach used here is Wittgenstein’s notion of language-games, which gives recognition to the many different views, descriptions, definitions, and theories of leadership. Informed by Wittgenstein’s wider argument, it develops by bringing in the notions of family resemblance, social rules, and forms of life to suggest that Wittgenstein’s account of meaning is able to move us toward a better understanding of the range of views about school leadership.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. As is customary, references to Wittgenstein’s work are abbreviated as shown, with specific paragraphs indicated §, and page numbers shown with the suffix e indicating translations into English where appropriate.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephen Newman

Dr. Stephen Newman is a senior lecturer in education and professional development at Leeds Beckett University. His research interests include philosophy and philosophy of education, and their application to issues such as social justice, leadership, reflective practice, and educational theory and practice.