The impetus for this paper surfaced from two previous research studies (see Pashiardis, Kafa & Marmara, 2012; Pashiardis, Savvides & Lytra, 2011) with regards to the International Successful School Principalship Project’s (ISSPP) findings from Cyprus. Specifically, the paper synthesizes and compares the research results from the primary and secondary education in Cyprus, bringing together the data collection of a ten-year research work with regards to successful principalship in Cyprus. The type of evidence was original qualitative empirical research undertaken through the examination of eleven case studies of successful primary and secondary school principals all across Cyprus. A multi-perspective research methodology approach was chosen, in accordance to the ISSPP guidelines, employing a common interview protocol process adjusted into the local context. Findings across the Cyprus’ school case studies demonstrated that successful heads both in primary and secondary education develop external relations, as well as networking with all the relevant actors; have a collaborative and shared ownership among their members and within their school organization; and finally promote a clear vision, as well as endorsing a specific number of values. Based on the aforementioned, the following three conceptualized successful tactics were revealed from the ISSPP research study in Cyprus: (1) Networking Leadership-Developing external relations, (2) People centered leadership- Shared ownership and collaborative commitment and (3) Clear vision and values. This overall effort led us to the articulation of certain successful practices, which could be correlated and compared to the results of other successful principalship contexts involved in the ISSPP, as well as in others that were not. Furthermore, it could contribute to the knowledge body on successful school principalship in different countries, with different educational policies and different social contexts and build on the collective work on the results of the ISSPP project (e.g. Gurr, 2015).

Pashiardis, P., Kafa, A. and Marmara, C. (2012). A case study of Successful Secondary Principalship in Cyprus: what have ‘Thucydides’ and ‘Plato’ revealed to us?. International Journal of Educational Management, 26(5), 480-493. Pashiardis, P., Savvides, V., Lytra, E. and Angelidou, K. (2011), “Successful school leadership in rural contexts: the case of Cyprus”. Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, 39(5), 536-553.