The Tygerberg Children's Choir (TCC) is rooted in South Africa's Afrikaner culture. Its transition to a multicultural children's choir, within a drastically changed political dispensation, furnished a rich subject for a historiographic choir identity investigation. From its establishment in 1972 until 2019, Hendrik D. Loock was the conductor.…

In the 1970s and 1980s, the social and professional imaginaries of education, sociopolitical conceptions of it, and educational practices in Spain, began to be influenced by certain elements specific to critical popular education, which had developed in Latin America during the "long 1960s." Paulo Freire's work was particularly prominent…

Education reform under the modernisation agenda both in England and internationally has signified the restoration of the 'private' and the decline of 'public' education. Deploying Arendtian thinking on assimilation and identity, we argue that these ongoing reforms are indeed dark times for education professionals. We examine what 'new dark times'…

This paper examines a period in Scottish educational history when civil servants, not politicians, were in the ascendancy in the initiation of policy. The first three Secretaries of the Scotch/Scottish Education Department (SED) -- Henry Craik (1846-1927), John Struthers (1857-1925) and George Macdonald (1862-1940) -- enjoyed considerable…

Professional biography research with those who hold formal positions in educational organizations is an established approach to researching leaders, leading and leadership. A key focus is on the oral account of a life story, and this can include family and wider life experiences. What is less of a feature is how the respondent codifies their…

Biography is often construed as life story, life history or memoir. The author who narrates the life of another the biographer may skim the surface to relate the events that occurred during the subject's life or dig deeply to explore the social and political issues that shaped her/his development. The subject of this biography is a man who grasped…

This article reports on the preliminary findings from a national UK study of the life histories of 28 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) educators who led schools across a 47-year period (1968-2015). BAME head teachers were grouped by generations (i.e. pioneer, experienced, and novice) and questioned about the critical life experiences that…

This article presents a principal's story of social justice practice in a Hong Kong primary school. The narration accounts for the notion of social justice through his practice in various ways. Studying in a "rooftop" primary school located in a public housing area in Hong Kong was the principal's salient memory of his first year of…

Leadership is a complex phenomenon and is also the least understood although discussed widely. However, in education leadership is everywhere. Moreover, taking into consideration of special students leadership, my research explores the dexterity of special students in terms of traits approach of leadership. Cases were developed from special…

This paper explores the traits of the leadership dexterity of special students. Leadership in special students is not an expected phenomenon. Cases of special students studying at the University of Tampere, Finland are reported on here. Each case contributes uniqueness and offers qualitative insight into this phenomenon. Interviews were conducted…

The long-time Prussian/German Crown Princess Victoria (1840-1901), known after her husband's death as the Empress Frederick, played an important role as patroness of and advocate for many forms of academic and vocational education for girls and women. This article examines her work for various institutions in Berlin as well as her homeland. It…

Students on the Early Childhood Studies degree programme at the University of East London were asked to reflect on their childhood memories and how these have shaped their understandings of early childhood and practices with young children. Students' rich and varied accounts reflect the diversity of largely non-traditional students from countries…

Using a prosopographical methodology this study examines common leadership influences that might have existed among Genghis Khan, George Washington, and Nelson Mandela. Shoup (2005) suggests that the following seven influences have contributed to nurturing the leadership of 12 renowned individuals: involved parents, happy childhood, formal,…

Presents a short biography of the winner of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. The 2012 winner is Marguerita Lightfoot for her leadership, innovation, and commitment to applying psychological principles to develop behavioral health interventions for…

The present article draws from the biographical narratives of three South African high school female principals which are part of a larger research study in which 26 aspiring and practicing women school leaders were interviewed. Narratives were constructed from in-depth interviews with each participant and analyzed for themes that provided…