Project leaders: South Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (SASPA)

The project will gather detailed information about the aspirations, experiences and needs of aspiring leaders – middle leaders, assistant and deputy principals – as well as documenting promising leadership development practices. This evidence will form the basis of recommendations and pilot programmes.

This research responds constructively to SASPA members’ concerns about preparation and recruitment to the principalship (Dolan et al., 2024). SASPA members include Deputy and Assistant Principals.

The research aims to provide information about the principal ‘pipeline’ that will inform SASPA programmes and policy recommendations.

Project leaders: Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA)

This project led by APPA and supported by ACU breaks new ground by addressing a critical gap in understanding how offensive behaviours towards school leaders affect their professional output (productivity). Specifically, the project aims to determine if schools where principals experience high levels of offensive behaviours correlate with lower student performance and vice versa. It will utilise TALIS data and the Annual Principal Health and wellbeing longitudinal survey.

This research will generate new knowledge on the direct and indirect effects of offensive behaviours, providing actionable insights for improving the work environment and outcomes in educational settings.