Preparing Schools for Educational Change: Barriers and Supports – A Systematic Literature Review

Although the role of leadership in school improvement is widely recognized, there is less understanding of what leaders can do to support (and mitigate barriers to) the implementation of mandated educational change. This systematic literature review analyzed findings from 191 relevant primary studies published between 2000 and 2020 and identified four broad themes: developing a reform-ready school climate, comprehensive planning, preparation for implementation, and building capacity. These results offer practical information about malleable school-level factors to which school leaders can attend (before implementing mandated reform) to support the school’s capacity for change.