The role of the principal in fostering the development of distributed leadership

In this article, the role that formal leaders play in helping distributed leadership take root and flourish in schools is explored. The focus of the study is an urban middle school, one of six cases in a larger three-year investigation of distributed leadership in two mid-Atlantic states. Using interview and document-based data, the authors illustrate ways in which the principal of Glencoe Middle School worked to overcome cultural, structural and professional barriers to create a leadership dense organisation.