Empowering Schools in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Review of Leadership Practices During and After the <scp>COVID</scp> ‐19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This review synthesizes findings from 226 empirical studies on school leadership practices addressing various challenges during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic. Five major foci were identified through the thematic analysis. It is evident that school leaders, regardless of context, devote significant time and effort to urgent crisis responses, including facilitating student learning, allocating resources, empowering teachers, addressing school and community well‐being, and managing the recovery phase. The importance of collaborative and community‐based strategies, as well as the role of digital instructional leadership, is particularly emphasized in the findings. Nuances in leadership approaches and practices across contexts, such as prioritizing technological support in the developing world and emphasizing communication and collaboration in developed countries, are also explored. Overall, the review contributes to the school leadership theory and practice by offering evidence‐based insights from a comprehensive set of studies across various national and cultural contexts.