Reculturing the Profession of Educational Leadership: New Blueprints

Abstract

This article provides an in-depth investigation of the foundations of the educational leadership profession. It first overviews the constructs of leadership roles and the discipline-based and practice-based knowledge base of the profession and then focuses on the construct of academic (technical) content. The article subsequently proceeds to reconceptualize the educational leadership profession itself. The goal of the author is to shift from a phenomenon related to “bodies of subject matter” to that of “valued ends.” Thus, the author encourages his readers to focus their attention on the central roles of the leader in education and identifies three such roles: “moral steward,”“educator” and “community builder.”