Distributed Leadership in Schools: Leading or Misleading

It is for this reason that ‘leadership’ has generated an enormous amount of interest among researchers and practitioners. A vast literature on school leadership and leadership theory exists (see Hallinger and Heck, 1996). Yet, despite a substantial research base, a singular, overarching theory of leadership has proved to be elusive. While researchers in many countries continue to produce a steady stream of empirical evidence about school leadership, this endless accumulation of findings still has not produced a consensus around effective leadership practice. The sheer proliferation of leadership theories, styles or approaches presented in the literature undoubtedly contributes to the confusion. There appear to be as many perspectives on school leadership as those who research and write about it. Furthermore, it is difficult to discern exactly how alternative theoretical positions differ.