Leading schools in crisis contexts: Practice insights from a scoping review

Crises in educational settings, such as violence, catastrophic natural disasters or pandemics, require responsive and adaptive leading practices. Responsive crisis leadership is an emerging field in educational settings. This scoping review synthesises empirical studies of primary school leaders’ practices in crisis contexts. The thematic analysis highlights agile decision-making, responsive communication, strategic resource management and emotional resilience. Leaders who navigate crises most responsively employ adaptive strategies, mobilise stakeholders, refine existing or new systems, while maintaining visibility and connection within the school community. The review contributes an integrative framework that delineates how crisis leadership in schools is enacted through interrelated domains of practice. A practice-oriented typology of crisis leadership in schools and associated ‘signature practices’ are offered as heuristic devices that organise how leadership actions are described in the existing literature. Findings could inform leader preparation, professional learning and policy supports for crisis readiness and recovery.