Whole-school sustainability at the core of quality education: Wished for by principals but requiring collective and structural action

In the face of global challenges, sustainability has become a defining concern of the 21 st century and hence a critical pillar of quality education. Principals, as pivotal actors in school development, can provide important perspectives on the current state and future developments of whole-school sustainability. However, while their role in promoting sustainability is widely recognized, systematic, national-scale insights concerning their views on sustainability in schools and the school system remain scarce. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of 80 semi-structured interviews and a representative survey ( n = 1310) with principals in Germany, the article provides an in-depth and large-scale assessment of leaders’ perspectives on the current and wished-for status, challenges, and drivers of sustainability at schools. We find that 80% of principals wish for sustainability to be a core element of school education, yet 62% describe the current status-quo as non-existent, isolated or an occasional add-on. Perceived challenges include a lack of resources, structural integration, as well as prevailing rule-systems and mindsets that hinder sustainability (e.g., normality of unsustainability, strong performance- and grade-orientation, systemic inertia). To overcome current challenges, the principals point to a need for considerably higher prioritization of sustainability by decision-makers at all levels. Overall, the findings indicate that sustainability in school education is currently limited by a system in which sustainability is an additive, not a default, and where responsibility for sustainability is often individualized, fragmented and diffused. In light of the findings, we discuss the relevance of more collective, structure-oriented and political sustainability learning, which is prioritized as a core feature of quality education. • (Un-)sustainability is becoming an ever more pressing concern within education • The large-scale mixed-method study ( n > 1,300) analyses the views of principals • Whole-school sustainability is strongly wished for, yet seldomly realized • Sustainability lacks prioritization, often building on single actions and individuals • Learnings for more collective, structure-oriented sustainability education are derived