A systematic review of systems leadership in education: taking a social justice lens

Early conceptual work on systems leadership in education emphasized social justice concerns, often through reference to the ‘moral purpose’ of those in positional authority. However, over time, we have seen a shift in focus from moral purpose to instrumentalism and a critique of hierarchical power dynamics. By revisiting the centrality of moral purpose in early conceptual work, clarifying its import and tracking its narrative through international education research, this systematic review of systems leadership in education research (2005–2023) identifies three waves of education literature which evolve from conceptual to critical, revealing key constraints and opportunities for applying a social justice lens. Despite obstacles including the co-option of systems leadership by ‘top-down’ managerialist structures, this review also highlights concrete recommendations in the literature on how systems leadership can be reclaimed for the purpose of addressing specific and entrenched social injustices such as systemic racism in schools.