I read with some interest both the original Kardos/Goldring article and the Court/Zweiter response.
The research study is introduced on the CASJE page [
www.casje.org] with the statement "Limited research exists on Jewish educational leadership practices and conditions for school leader success."
Of course, there is a plethora of research about leadership in schools generally, and one can assume that much of it is applicable to Jewish schools, as well. Surely the conclusions that effective school leadership must focus on promotion of a vision, enabling staff learning and professional growth, and interacting with the school community for the benefit of students, teachers, parents, etc. could have been predicted based on existing educational research.
If, indeed, research on "Jewish educational leadership practices and conditions for school leader success" is a desideratum, perhaps emphasis should be put on unique aspects of Jewish leadership, i.e., what makes leadership "Jewish." A number of recent publications discuss Jewish leadership, often in an educational setting. The Rav's Vision and Leadership is one such example, but researchers could also benefit from such books as Erica Brown's Inspired Jewish Leadership, or Zvi Grumet's Moses and the Path to Leadership.
(Rabbi) Yitzchak Jacobs
