Changes in Local School Practices Following Principal Turnover

Year 2026, Volume: 11 Issue: 1 , 1 - 36 , 30.03.2026

Katina Thelin , Sandra Lund

https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1818674

https://izlik.org/JA67YW34UL

Abstract

This article reports and discusses a study starting from general knowledge of the importance of school leadership and previous research on the impact of principal turnover. It arrives at the conclusion that principal turnover constitutes a critical, practice-disturbing, and practice-changing event in the local school organisation. The aim of this study is to examine how local school practices change during principal turnover and to characterise how such change unfolds across different dimensions of practice. Drawing on the theory of practice architectures and 497 unique free-text responses from a questionnaire distributed to school staff and parents/guardians in five Swedish municipalities, the analysis shows how leadership transitions affect not only the practice of leading but also a range of interconnected practices within the local education complex. The findings link principal turnover to changes in the semantic, physical, and social dimensions of these practices, highlighting their significance for various stakeholders. Among those most affected by these changes are students with special educational needs and newly arrived students, who appear particularly vulnerable to the effects of principal turnover.

Keywords

educational complex , disruptions , local school organisation , practice , practice arrangements , practice architectures , principals , principal turnover

Ethical Statement

Formal ethical approval was not sought, as the study did not involve sensitive personal data and was conducted in line with Swedish regulations governing research exempt from ethical review (Swedish Research Council, 2024).

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