About this Research Topic

Background

The serious social, economic and environmental problems facing humanity require inspiring and proactive leaders. Indeed, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 requires people who drive the transformation and empowerment of their communities. In this context, educational leaders are called upon to play a key role, as education is one of the main ways to guarantee the well-being and prosperity of humanity. Among other aspects, they must ensure the necessary organizational conditions in the institution to generate a shared vision committed to sustainability, as well as align curricular practices and the institutional approach with the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

Recent research in this area has shown that educational leaders, both formal and informal, face numerous barriers when trying to implement ESD in the classroom. Among others, the scientific literature alludes to a lack of specific training, bureaucratic overload, and scarcity of time and resources. From their point of view, the integration of the SDGs in educational institutions is an essential element, but other priority issues must also be addressed. In practice, this means that their efforts are limited to mere one-off actions, in many cases without continuity. To this must be added the difficulties encountered in generating a collective awareness that is truly committed to sustainable culture, both among students, teachers, and the environment. It has also been shown that the most appropriate leadership models for promoting ESD are those of a more participatory, dialogic, and distributed nature. In fact, the construction of collaborative networks, student interest and personal commitment are some of the elements that encourage them to continue their work. Despite all this, the connection between educational leadership and sustainable development remains, for the moment, an emerging issue, and further research is needed to identify new possibilities for reflection and action.

This Research Topic thus becomes a forum for the scientific community to share its research on leadership and sustainable development at all stages and levels of education. The call for papers is open to theoretical studies, educational experiences, and empirical research. Proposals are expected to address one of the following themes or other related issues:

− Models of educational leadership and sustainable development.

− Facilitating and hindering elements of sustainability in educational spaces.

− Training for educational leadership and sustainable development.

− Best practices for educational leadership and sustainability.

− ESD and educational leadership.

− Innovation, creativity, and sustainable development in educational institutions.

− Curricular integration of the SDGs.

− Diagnosis and evaluation of sustainability in educational organizations.

− Ethics, leadership, and sustainable development.

− Policies and strategies to promote ESD in educational spaces.

− Training and commitment of students to sustainable development.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Educational leadership, Education for sustainable development, Educational institutions, 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals, Informal leadership, Formal education, Sustainability

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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