Marta’s story: a female principal leading in challenge contexts

ABSTRACT

Recent international research highlights the importance of a strong professional identity based on pedagogical leadership to achieve educational improvement. Several studies indicate a clear relationship between the role of gender identity and the development of a leadership identity. This article tells the story of a female school principal in a Spanish school context. Using a biographical narrative approach, we explore how this female principal built a professional identity oriented towards leadership based on professional commitment and social justice. This study is part of a more extensive international research project whose main objective is to explore the factors that influence the construction of a professional leadership identity for school principals. The analysis was based on an outpouring of deep reflections through a professional biogram. We identified a series of key events in Marta’s life that had a clear professional and personal impact and consolidated her current professional identity. Marta’s story shows the influence of gender, personal life factors, socio-economic status, and the socio-political environment on the development of a professional identity of leadership along with the challenges encountered as a woman. Facing these challenges has led to the re-construction of an identity that is more oriented towards social equality and professional commitment.

KEYWORDS:

• Leadership
• management
• school improvement
• female principal

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Indices of the cultural and economic status in PISA.

2 Andalusian Agency for Educational Evaluation.

Additional information

Funding

This paper has been supported by the I+D+i Project ‘Identidad de la dirección escolar: Liderazgo, formación y profesionalisación’ [grant number EDU2016-78191-P (AEI/FEDER, UE)]. Support was also received from the University Teaching Staff Programme, implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Spanish Government [grant number FPU16/04621].