An intellectual history of school leadership practice and research - Helen Gunter

An Intellectual History of School Leadership Practice and Research presents a detailed and critical account of the ideas that underpin the practice of educational leadership, through drawing on over 20 years of research into those who generate, popularise and use those ideas. It moves from abstracted accounts of knowledge claims based on studying field outputs, towards the biographies and practices of those actively involved in the production and use of field knowledge.The book presents a critical account of the ideas underpinning educational leadership, and engages with those ideas by examining the origins, development and use of conceptual frameworks and models of best practice. It deploys an original approach to the design and composition of an intellectual history, and as such it speaks to a wider audience of scholars who are interested in developing and deploying such approaches in their particular fields.

Helen M. Gunter is Professor of Educational Policy at the University of Manchester, UK, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

This is a tour de force, a brilliant organisation of an increasingly complex field. It is both a history and a commentary on the intellectual currents that have shaped the field from within and from the broader world of the social sciences. A significant contribution to knowledge production in educational administration, management and leadership.
Richard Bates, Emeritus Professor, School of Education, Deakin University, Australia

Helen Gunter has articulated an insightful and nuanced account of the intellectual histories of school leadership scholarship. The framing of traditions, purposes, domains, contexts, and networks provides a powerful analytic for those engaging with the field, from graduate students through to professors. Whether new to the field, or well established, this book grants insights rarely achieved. I thoroughly recommend it.
Scott Eacott, Director, Office of Educational Leadership, University of New South Wales, Australia

Helen Gunter boldly attempts to jump-start a renewed interest in theory among scholars of educational leadership, and she does so with an impressive breadth of knowledge.
She shows how in our field's marketized "what works" world, theory can help us reconstruct some semblance of leadership for a common good.
Gary Anderson, Professor of Educational Administration, New York University, USA

I am impressed by the sheer amount of literature referred to, the scholarship, and the grasp of the field that the book demonstrates.
International Journal of Christianity & Education