This text examines the ways in which concepts of educational leadership and management have evolved historically and culturally, and reviews contemporary debates about school leadership. Theoretical context is illuminated by the research of 88 headteachers of English primary and secondary schools.

Introduction; Part 1 School Leadership Studies: Beyond Education Management; Part 2 Leadership and Management: Locating the Concepts; Part 3 Critical Perspectives on School Leadership; Part 4 Fieldwork and Analytical Approaches; Part 5 The Power Relations of School Leadership: Change or Continuity?; Part 6 Headteachers: Curriculum and Educational Leadership; Part 7 Management, Markets and School Headship; Part 8 Moral, Ethical and Professional Dilemmas; Part 9 The Dilemmas of Catholic Headteachers; Part 10 Women and Educational Leadership; Part 11 The Past and the Future of Educational Leadership; Part 12 Politics, Markets and Democratic Schools;