The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux

Carol Mullen

doi:10.30828/real.1949167

The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux

Abstract

I write this commentary with urgency and guarded hope. Educational leadership is not merely evolving. Instead, it is being re-parameterized by forces that exceed inherited categories of school improvement, effective leadership, and evidence-based practice. Looking toward 2030, the field’s most consequential questions concern governance under extreme uncertainty: who decides, what counts as knowledge, and how legitimacy is sustained when technologies, borders, and policy regimes shift faster than institutions can adapt. This discussion highlights three intersecting themes: artificial intelligence (AI)-driven transformation, decolonizing and diversifying research, and activist digital pedagogies. It ends with agenda-setting research questions.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Leadership in Education

Journal Section

Letter to Editor

Authors

Carol Mullen ^*
0000-0002-4732-338X
United States

Publication Date

June 27, 2026

Submission Date

May 11, 2026

Acceptance Date

May 12, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 11 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1949167

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA44WC87UM

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Mullen, C. (2026). The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership, 11(2), 545-559. https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1949167

AMA

1.Mullen C. The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux. REAL. 2026;11(2):545-559. doi:10.30828/real.1949167

Chicago

Mullen, Carol. 2026. “The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux”. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership 11 (2): 545-59. https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1949167.

EndNote

Mullen C (June 1, 2026) The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership 11 2 545–559.

IEEE

[1]C. Mullen, “The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux”, REAL, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 545–559, June 2026, doi: 10.30828/real.1949167.

ISNAD

Mullen, Carol. “The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux”. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership 11/2 (June 1, 2026): 545-559. https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1949167.

JAMA

1.Mullen C. The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux. REAL. 2026;11:545–559.

MLA

Mullen, Carol. “The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux”. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership, vol. 11, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 545-59, doi:10.30828/real.1949167.

Vancouver

1.Carol Mullen. The Research Frontier 2030: New Questions for the Educational Leadership Field in Flux. REAL. 2026 Jun. 1;11(2):545-59. doi:10.30828/real.1949167