Overview 

System leaders play a crucial role in supporting school leaders and continuous improvement across multiple schools. Research highlights the need for professional learning to prepare system leaders for their challenging leadership responsibilities.

Findings from this report suggest that systematic, systemic, and ongoing professional leadership learning and development opportunities can have the most impact, especially when they encompass:

• effective system leadership
• leading improvement and change
• educational leadership
• leadership for equity
• operational leadership.

Methodology

This paper synthesises insights from relevant research papers from the educational leadership literature published over 2014-2026. It draws primarily on research on the preparation and development needs of system leaders who sit in the organisational hierarchy between principals and the top district or regional leaders and link these levels of the system.

Defining system leadership

System leadership is the practice of leading beyond the bounds of individual schools to impact improvement across multiple schools or networks within a system.

System leadership is exercised by school leaders whose influence extends beyond their own schools, as well as leaders who hold formal system-level leadership positions. In the NSW public education system, some formal system leader roles have significant responsibilities for supporting principals and leading improvement over networks of schools.

System leadership professional learning needs and approaches

The overall conclusion from this research report is the need for systematic, system-wide and ongoing learning opportunities that supports leadership between and across groups of schools, as well as cohesive succession planning.

Research indicates that system leadership preparation can be supported by targeted professional learning that addresses the following broad themes: effective leadership, leading network improvement, educational leadership, leadership for equity, and operational leadership. The research report explores each of these themes in more detail.

The report also outlines what the research says on best practice approaches to developing and delivering professional learning that supports preparation for system leadership roles. Effective system leadership professional learning opportunities are collaborative and job-embedded, employ a range of professional supports, support research engagement, and are structured around evidence-informed leadership frameworks and models.

Next steps

The insights from the report were used by the SLI as part of the development of the new System Leadership for Principals program.