Parallel leadership: a clue to the contents of the “black box” of school reform

The concept of parallel leadership that is introduced in this article derives from a five‐year research project that was first reported in IJEM in 1997. Parallel leadership represents a relationship between teacher leaders and principals that is grounded in the values of mutual trust, shared directionality and allowance for individual expression. It appears to provide a leadership foundation upon which successful school reform can be built. Thus, the lid of what Hallinger and Heck have called the “black box” of school reform may have been prised open.