Table 1 Summary of papers in the special... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1

Summary of papers in the special issue

Paper title and author(s)	Country location	Focus and methods	Stated findings
Reflections on a decade of a school-university partnership: Graduates' perceptions of long-term program influence Okilwa and Barnett	USA	This study looked back on program benefits and challenges of participants several years out from the participation in a university/district leadership development master's program Seven focus group interviews with 31 participants that were comprised of 12 campus leaders, 16 classroom teachers and two district level program coordinators Part of a larger study. The larger study included two university faculty and six district leaders	Benefits included engaging in influential tasks and activities, altering their perspectives and practices and sustaining cohort relationships; challenges were coping with work-life balance, course demands and changing program expectations
Mentor principals as key facilitators in aspiring leaders' residency programs: the role of school–university partnerships in effective principal preparation De La Garza, Valle, Palmer, Almager and Leon	USA	This study looked back on the impact of mentor principals on participants five or more years out from a 15-month university/district residency leadership development program One individual interview with each of four participants	The study's findings categorized the high-quality exchanges between the mentor principal and the aspiring leader in four areas: (1) empowerment through guided autonomy, (2) open dialogue and feedback, (3) modelled leadership practices and (4) systems thinking and strategic leadership. The low-quality exchanges involved (5) outsourcing mentoring activities to other individuals and (6) a lack of instructional leadership.
Learning within a Principal and Researcher Collaboration Benerdal and Ärlestig	Sweden	This paper explores the work of 15 principals engaged in a range of learning activities – external input, feedback, self-study, experiential learning, collegial exchange and structured reflection – as part of a multi-year partnership between a municipality and a university The paper uses written principal reflections from six learning activities and written researcher reflections from two learning activities and from continuous reflection as the data sources Part of a larger study, which was not described	Results indicate that learning and development, seen as leadership actions, is closely connected. It is therefore necessary to nuance and visualise both direct and indirect signs of learning and sensemaking. Long-term partnerships and a combination of various activities and feedback provide a solid foundation for understanding how processes contribute to new knowledge and working methods for both practitioners and researchers
Leveraging University-District Partnerships to Prepare School Leaders for Equity Jackson	USA	This paper explores perceptions about impact on program participants in leadership development programs from 15 program directors, staff and faculty from 11 principal preparation programs in one state. Thirteen semi-structured interviews lasting 45–90 min were the data sources Part of a larger study, which was not described	The analysis revealed four major themes that characterized how these relationships support programs' equity-oriented efforts: recruitment and admission, internship, two-way learning and program evaluation and continuous improvement
Building a positive school culture using continuous improvement: leadership development in a research–practice partnership Paufler, Klar and Carter	USA	This study used field notes, artifacts, participant observations and interviews with a principal and their coach in a university-led leadership development program as the principal engaged in the research-practice partnership to use improvement science to build a positive school culture Part of a larger study. This paper reports on only one principal. It is not clear how many principals were involved in the larger study	The study identified three findings. First, the leader learned to use the concepts and tools of improvement science to define a problem of practice. Second, the leader learned to identify and select high-leverage change ideas to improve the problem. Third, the leader applied what she learned to lead systemic change in her school
“Connecting the dots”: a social network study of inter-organizational partnerships for designing equity-centered principal preparation programs Awaludin and Halverson	USA	This research explored the Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative (ECPI) which is a Wallace sponsored program to prepare school leaders who have a social justice orientation Three surveys over 18 months of key, knowledgeable ECPI actors were conducted, with responses analysed through social network analysis of the evolution of the network over time	The ECPI network evolved from a loosely connected set of early partnerships, largely between university representatives and technical assistance providers, into a more cohesive, inclusive and interconnected system. Over time, district actors emerged as central brokers. The findings also show increasing network density, reduced fragmentation and the growing integration of state agencies and community organizations. SAOM results underline the influence of both endogenous/internal factors (e.g. reciprocity, transitivity) and exogenous/external ones, particularly role homophily (i.e. individuals with the same role tended to collaborate with each other), in shaping partnership dynamics
By Māori, for Māori: community partnerships for culturally sustaining schools Angelle, Upson and Knight	New Zealand	This research was focused on school-community partnerships that enhance knowledge and relationships of principals and schools with Māori students and families There were individual interviews with seven participants: three principals, an interim principal, two Kaitiaki (cultural brokers) and one community partner/Māori Iwi representative Part of a larger study. It is not clear what the larger involved or why the three schools described in this paper were chosen. It seems that the three schools may be examples from the larger study	Through the voices of the school leadership and their partners, the path to diversity through collaboration with the Māori community has widened. Partnerships with Māori elders and Māori community leaders provided professional development in the culture and language of the Māori people. Findings provide evidence that partnerships have increased knowledge and recognition for the Māori students and their culture in the school community. Respect for the non-dominant Māori culture has grown throughout the school community, including teachers, staff and families
Crossing the ocean virtually: a pilot exchange between universities in the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina Shiffman and Sijamhodžić-Nadarević	USA and Bosnia Herzegovina	This study explored virtual exchanges of US doctoral leadership students and BH masters and doctoral religious pedagogy and theology students Secondary analysis of existing data focused on the intercultural and educational leadership learning in two collaborative online international learning (COIL) programs. Data sources were artefacts (program materials and student work) from the 2 faculty who led two COILs and 40 student who participated in these (12 from the USA and 18 from BH)	Reported learning emphasized reflection focused on cultural attitudes, knowledge and skills; intercultural and interlinguistic awareness; intercultural team functioning; and educational leadership, system and policy comparisons. Supports for and challenges to reported learning were structural, curricular and instructional in nature
Developing and Sustaining School Partnerships in a Networked Improvement Community: The TAMAM Project Hayes, Mahfouz and Karami-Akkary	Middle East	This study explored a school/university partnership network across several Middle East countries, and which was focused on school improvement – TAMAM. Eight members of the TAMAM leadership steering committee and the project director were individually interviewed to explore the project and how it supported schools to improve. Leadership development was part of the process	Findings reveal five themes that are instrumental in developing and sustaining a NIC partnership: a (1) laser-like focus on the improvement process; (2) shared leadership focused on common mission and goals, (3) human development, growth and empowerment, and (4) leading and learning across varying contexts and (5) relational trust as the glue of the network

Paper title and author(s)	Country location	Focus and methods	Stated findings
Reflections on a decade of a school-university partnership: Graduates' perceptions of long-term program influence Okilwa and Barnett	USA	This study looked back on program benefits and challenges of participants several years out from the participation in a university/district leadership development master's program Seven focus group interviews with 31 participants that were comprised of 12 campus leaders, 16 classroom teachers and two district level program coordinators Part of a larger study. The larger study included two university faculty and six district leaders	Benefits included engaging in influential tasks and activities, altering their perspectives and practices and sustaining cohort relationships; challenges were coping with work-life balance, course demands and changing program expectations
Mentor principals as key facilitators in aspiring leaders' residency programs: the role of school–university partnerships in effective principal preparation De La Garza, Valle, Palmer, Almager and Leon	USA	This study looked back on the impact of mentor principals on participants five or more years out from a 15-month university/district residency leadership development program One individual interview with each of four participants	The study's findings categorized the high-quality exchanges between the mentor principal and the aspiring leader in four areas: (1) empowerment through guided autonomy, (2) open dialogue and feedback, (3) modelled leadership practices and (4) systems thinking and strategic leadership. The low-quality exchanges involved (5) outsourcing mentoring activities to other individuals and (6) a lack of instructional leadership.
Learning within a Principal and Researcher Collaboration Benerdal and Ärlestig	Sweden	This paper explores the work of 15 principals engaged in a range of learning activities – external input, feedback, self-study, experiential learning, collegial exchange and structured reflection – as part of a multi-year partnership between a municipality and a university The paper uses written principal reflections from six learning activities and written researcher reflections from two learning activities and from continuous reflection as the data sources Part of a larger study, which was not described	Results indicate that learning and development, seen as leadership actions, is closely connected. It is therefore necessary to nuance and visualise both direct and indirect signs of learning and sensemaking. Long-term partnerships and a combination of various activities and feedback provide a solid foundation for understanding how processes contribute to new knowledge and working methods for both practitioners and researchers
Leveraging University-District Partnerships to Prepare School Leaders for Equity Jackson	USA	This paper explores perceptions about impact on program participants in leadership development programs from 15 program directors, staff and faculty from 11 principal preparation programs in one state. Thirteen semi-structured interviews lasting 45–90 min were the data sources Part of a larger study, which was not described	The analysis revealed four major themes that characterized how these relationships support programs' equity-oriented efforts: recruitment and admission, internship, two-way learning and program evaluation and continuous improvement
Building a positive school culture using continuous improvement: leadership development in a research–practice partnership Paufler, Klar and Carter	USA	This study used field notes, artifacts, participant observations and interviews with a principal and their coach in a university-led leadership development program as the principal engaged in the research-practice partnership to use improvement science to build a positive school culture Part of a larger study. This paper reports on only one principal. It is not clear how many principals were involved in the larger study	The study identified three findings. First, the leader learned to use the concepts and tools of improvement science to define a problem of practice. Second, the leader learned to identify and select high-leverage change ideas to improve the problem. Third, the leader applied what she learned to lead systemic change in her school
“Connecting the dots”: a social network study of inter-organizational partnerships for designing equity-centered principal preparation programs Awaludin and Halverson	USA	This research explored the Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative (ECPI) which is a Wallace sponsored program to prepare school leaders who have a social justice orientation Three surveys over 18 months of key, knowledgeable ECPI actors were conducted, with responses analysed through social network analysis of the evolution of the network over time	The ECPI network evolved from a loosely connected set of early partnerships, largely between university representatives and technical assistance providers, into a more cohesive, inclusive and interconnected system. Over time, district actors emerged as central brokers. The findings also show increasing network density, reduced fragmentation and the growing integration of state agencies and community organizations. SAOM results underline the influence of both endogenous/internal factors (e.g. reciprocity, transitivity) and exogenous/external ones, particularly role homophily (i.e. individuals with the same role tended to collaborate with each other), in shaping partnership dynamics
By Māori, for Māori: community partnerships for culturally sustaining schools Angelle, Upson and Knight	New Zealand	This research was focused on school-community partnerships that enhance knowledge and relationships of principals and schools with Māori students and families There were individual interviews with seven participants: three principals, an interim principal, two Kaitiaki (cultural brokers) and one community partner/Māori Iwi representative Part of a larger study. It is not clear what the larger involved or why the three schools described in this paper were chosen. It seems that the three schools may be examples from the larger study	Through the voices of the school leadership and their partners, the path to diversity through collaboration with the Māori community has widened. Partnerships with Māori elders and Māori community leaders provided professional development in the culture and language of the Māori people. Findings provide evidence that partnerships have increased knowledge and recognition for the Māori students and their culture in the school community. Respect for the non-dominant Māori culture has grown throughout the school community, including teachers, staff and families
Crossing the ocean virtually: a pilot exchange between universities in the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina Shiffman and Sijamhodžić-Nadarević	USA and Bosnia Herzegovina	This study explored virtual exchanges of US doctoral leadership students and BH masters and doctoral religious pedagogy and theology students Secondary analysis of existing data focused on the intercultural and educational leadership learning in two collaborative online international learning (COIL) programs. Data sources were artefacts (program materials and student work) from the 2 faculty who led two COILs and 40 student who participated in these (12 from the USA and 18 from BH)	Reported learning emphasized reflection focused on cultural attitudes, knowledge and skills; intercultural and interlinguistic awareness; intercultural team functioning; and educational leadership, system and policy comparisons. Supports for and challenges to reported learning were structural, curricular and instructional in nature
Developing and Sustaining School Partnerships in a Networked Improvement Community: The TAMAM Project Hayes, Mahfouz and Karami-Akkary	Middle East	This study explored a school/university partnership network across several Middle East countries, and which was focused on school improvement – TAMAM. Eight members of the TAMAM leadership steering committee and the project director were individually interviewed to explore the project and how it supported schools to improve. Leadership development was part of the process	Findings reveal five themes that are instrumental in developing and sustaining a NIC partnership: a (1) laser-like focus on the improvement process; (2) shared leadership focused on common mission and goals, (3) human development, growth and empowerment, and (4) leading and learning across varying contexts and (5) relational trust as the glue of the network