Leadership and Policy in Schools

Top Research Topics at Leadership and Policy in Schools?

Leadership and Policy in Schools tackles a plethora of topics, such as Pedagogy, Public relations, Educational leadership, Instructional leadership and Mathematics education. In addition to Pedagogy research, the journal aims to explore topics under Leadership style, Leadership and Shared leadership. It explores the study of Leadership style to improve our understanding of the broader topic of Social psychology.

The in-depth study on Shared leadership also explores topics in the intersecting field of Servant leadership. The journal focuses on Public relations but the discussions also offer insight into other areas such as Qualitative research and Accountability. The tackled Accountability research is interrelated with Public administration which concerns subjects like State (polity) and Politics.

The research on Educational leadership discussed in the journal draws on the closely related field of Leadership studies. Most of the works presented in Leadership and Policy in Schools deals with Instructional leadership but it intersects with the subject of Perception. The featured Mathematics education research zeroes in on concepts in Academic achievement and Student achievement but also tackles themes under Principal (computer security).

• Pedagogy (30.40%)
• Public relations (23.44%)
• Educational leadership (18.13%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Instructional Leadership and the School Principal: A Passing Fancy that Refuses to Fade Away (579 citations)
• A Review of Transformational School Leadership Research 1996–2005 (434 citations)
• Distributing Leadership to Make Schools Smarter: Taking the Ego out of the System. (322 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Leadership and Policy in Schools:

The published articles investigate areas of study like Pedagogy, Instructional leadership, Mathematics education, Educational leadership and Academic achievement. While the journal publications focused on Pedagogy, they were also able to explore topics like Leadership studies and Transformational leadership. The studies on Instructional leadership discussed at the most cited articles can also contribute to research in the domains of Power structure and Public relations, Organizational culture.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

• Law
• Social science
• Management

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The objective of Leadership and Policy in Schools is to combine knowledge in the areas of Public relations, Educational leadership, Principal (computer security), Pedagogy and Mathematics education. Topics in Public relations were tackled in line with various other fields like Autonomy, Diversity (politics) and Role identity. The Educational leadership works featured in it incorporate elements from Ideology and Transformational leadership.

It features works in Pedagogy, more specifically Cultural competence, and explores their relation to disciplines like Abu dhabi. The tackled Mathematics education research is interrelated with Qualitative research which concerns subjects like Educational administration. Aside from discussions in Social psychology, it also deals with the subject of Centrality which intersects with Instructional leadership disciplines.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• Transformational Leadership for Parental Involvement: How Teachers Perceive the School Leadership Practices to Promote Parental Involvement in Children’s Education (7 citations)
• Role identity and sensemaking as institutional mechanisms for policy translation: the case of school principals and education reforms in Israel (6 citations)
• Social Justice Dilemmas: A Multidimensional Framework of Social Justice Educational Leadership (4 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in Leadership and Policy in Schools (based on the number of publications) are:

• Kenneth Leithwood (12 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Haim Shaked (7 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
• Rose M. Ylimaki (7 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Viviane M. J. Robinson (7 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Alex J. Bowers (6 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Leadership and Policy in Schools (based on the number of publications) are:

• Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (29 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
• University of Western Ontario (14 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
• University of Auckland (11 papers) absent at the last edition,
• University of Wisconsin-Madison (9 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Vanderbilt University (9 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 7.69% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 11.67% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 13.33% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 28.33% of all publications and 46.67% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Prospects and Knowledge Requirements for Leadership Roles in Schools

Another comprehensive area that necessitates exploration is the career prospects and prerequisite knowledge for roles of leadership and policy in schools. Understanding the career path and experience required for these positions can provide valuable insights on the preparation and process of securing these roles. For instance, individuals pursuing a career in school leadership may need training in areas like such as pedagogy, public relations, and educational leadership to succeed in their respective professions. Those interested in leadership roles in schools, such as a school counselor, may need to acquire specific licenses. For instance, in certain regions like Hawaii, specific guidelines are put in place for obtaining a counseling license. Understanding these requirements is pivotal in preparing for and pursuing these roles. For more comprehensive understanding on this process, you can refer to our article on Getting counseling license in Hawaii. It is also crucial to remain updated about the most cited papers and research trends in the field. Familiarity with these topics not only equips school leaders with the most current information but also enhances their ability to lead effectively by bringing about informed changes in policies and curriculum according to contemporary research findings. In conclusion, aspiring school leaders must not only be aware of the academic requisites of their professions but also understand licensing requirements in their respective regions, stay abreast of current research trends, and be prepared to continuously learn and grow in their roles.