This book demonstrates the centrality of context to understanding school leadership, offering varied portrayals of leadership in a diverse range of distinct settings. Each chapter highlights the prominence of context in understanding the realities of school leadership, focusing on issues and influences school leaders face, strategies school leaders adopt to deal with the complexities of their work, and conceptualisations of school leadership relevant to the context.

1. The Case for Investigating School Leadership Simon Clarke and Tom O'Donoghue 2. School Leadership and the Need to take Context Seriously Simon Clarke and Tom O'Donoghue 3. Leading Small, Remote Schools: Dealing with Isolation and the Community Karen Star 4. Leading High Poverty, Urban Schools: Dealing with Economic, Emotional and Social Challenges Bruce Barnett 5. Leading Multi Ethnic Schools: Constructing and Nurturing an Inclusive School Culture Jim Ryan 6. Leading Exclusive, Private Schools: Dealing with Complex Governance, Financial Difficulties and the Relentless Pressure to Achieve Ralph Townshend 7. Leading Faith Based Schools: Developing a School Ethos that is Conducive to the Religious Faith Tony Kelly 8. Leading Schools in Circumstances Attributable to Conflict and Trauma Gilbert Karareba, Tom O'Donoghue and Simon Clarke 9. Leading Indigenous Schools: Dealing with Language, Culture, Health, Attendance, Racism, and Family and Peer Relationships Fiona Walton 10. Leading Autonomous, State Schools: Dealing with the Tension between Enhanced Autonomy and Increased Accountability Chris Chapman 11. Leading International Schools: Dealing with Diverse Cultures, Rapid Turnover of Students and Staff and Occasionally Isolation Allan Walker 12. Explanatory Synthesis Simon Clarke and Tom O'Donoghue