This study aims to explore the understanding and actualization of teacher leadership among teachers and principals in the school development process. Teacher leadership is considered a powerful concept by providing teachers with the opportunity to contribute to sustainable school development by supporting professional development among their colleagues and improving teaching practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in five Estonian schools with sixteen teachers and five principals. Deductive and inductive approaches were applied to data analysis. Three analysis themes were used: 1) understanding of teacher leadership characteristics and activities of a teacher leader; 2) the impact and; 3) the conditions for teacher leadership. The results revealed that although some of the characteristics and activities coincided with earlier findings, teachers and principals in this study had a rather limited understanding of teacher leadership. Therefore, we argue that the concept of teacher leadership should be introduced much more systematically during initial teacher education and should be fundamental to the continuing professional development of the school development program. Furthermore, principals need to improve their skills as they play an influential role in creating a school environment that supports teachers to take the initiative.

Our study focused on the leadership strategies of Estonian and Finnish principals aimed at encouraging teachers to participate in school development. We also looked at context-bound factors that form the framework within which principals discuss their work regarding (1) creating a shared vision, (2) implementing shared leadership practices, (3) fostering a collaborative school culture, and (4) supporting teachers’ development and recognizing teachers’ work. We interviewed five principals from each country and used directed content analysis to examine the data. According to the findings, most of the principals had experienced challenges when involving teachers in school development. This seems to be connected to the high levels of professional autonomy prevalent in both countries that is built on a long tradition of understanding autonomy as an individual property of a teacher rather than seeing it in relation to the autonomy provided to an organization. Regarding the aims set for education, Finnish principals emphasized the implementation of the national curriculum and local coherence, whereas principals in Estonia were keener to respond to the expectations set for schools to stand out based on their educational innovations, and this implies a higher level of competitiveness among the schools in Estonia.

The purpose of this study was to find out what current challenges successful principals in Estonia and Finland identify in developing their schools. The strategies used in dealing with these challenges were also analyzed within the framework of “growth-mindset pedagogy” as an educational approach to school leadership. The principals were interviewed, and the resulting data were analyzed by means of both inductive and deductive content analysis. The similarities among and differences between principals from Estonia and Finland were compared and discussed in the context of high-achievement-oriented but culturally different educational systems. According to the results, the challenges are similar in both countries, relating to the principals’ professional development, as well as developments in the curriculum and the learning community. The Estonian principals identified more challenges related to developments in the learning community than their Finnish peers, although in both countries they tended to use strategies related to growth-mindset pedagogy in dealing with them. Preparation and development programs for principals should pay more attention to their mindset and their views on teaching and learning, which may have a strong impact on the whole school community.

The university-student partnership during the quality assurance process has gained considerable attention in policy documents as well as in the research into higher education. An effective dialogue is critical for engaging students in continuous improvement of higher education. Therefore, this qualitative study explored how student engagement in the quality assurance process can be improved by an effective university-student dialogue. Based on interviews carried out with 27 students, the study concluded that students were eager to take part in the quality assurance process. However, the students’ understanding of what the university expects from them, their roles and responsibilities, should be made clear in order to effectively involve students in the quality assurance process. Students are seeking interaction: they would like to be engaged in the dialogue, collaboratively solve the issues concerning their studies, provide feedback and receive up-to-date information about the universities’ development plans.

This study investigates how moral virtues create purpose for ethical leadership. Four exemplary principals, two from Estonia and two from Finland, were interviewed to study their perceptions of critical incidents in their work and how moral virtues are manifest in their reflections. The results of qualitative content analysis showed that the critical incidents were related to themselves as principals and to their work with teachers, students and families, and their communities as a whole. The principals demonstrated the virtues of wisdom and knowledge in creating long-term visions for their schools and building the schools for future generations. Other leading virtues were humanity, courage and justice, indicating caring and honesty and involving teachers and parents in decision-making. Based on our study, virtues seem to motivate principals to achieve their desired goals and solve challenging situations in morally sustainable ways. The study confirms that principals’ work is value-based, and thus, reflection on moral virtues and the moral dimension of leadership should be integral parts of principals’ education.

Teacher leadership is a powerful concept in school development. However, teachers’ readiness to take on the leadership role is rather delicate. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between teachers’ readiness for leadership and two main factors that affect it: distributed leadership and school culture. Quantitative data from teachers (n = 480) in 16 Estonian schools were gathered through a questionnaire regarding teachers’ readiness for leadership, their perceived distributed leadership and school culture. The results indicated that teachers in schools where distributed leadership dimensions were perceived above average evaluated their readiness for leadership higher. We also found that teachers evaluated their readiness for leadership higher in schools where innovation and change-oriented school culture were perceived as higher than average. The findings offer in-depth evidence of the conditions necessary to support teachers’ readiness for leadership.