This symposium aims to explore the contemporary evidence and insights surrounding the improvement of underperforming schools and those facing challenging circumstances, with a particular focus on the critical role of leadership and the effectiveness of interventions.

Underperforming schools and those facing challenging circumstances often require local or national interventions due to difficulties in meeting acceptable performance levels, managing school development processes and facing scrutiny. 

Due to their location and the composition of the student body, schools in challenging circumstances face more difficult conditions and are particularly challenged. Serving a high proportion of students from non-privileged family situations (usually measured by the educational attainment and financial circumstances of the parents), these poorer socio-economic circumstances are often associated with special compensatory services provided by the school. In addition, schools in challenging circumstances have different organizational quality characteristics (e.g., Author, 2020).

When quality characteristics differ, schools need external support. To be able to face these different problem and stress constellations of particularly challenged schools, it is therefore necessary to take a differentiated view of the stress characteristics as well as different school development and support approaches, which are based on the specific needs of the schools (e.g., Author, 2017).

The necessary additional support from the system can be provided within the framework of professionalization and advisory services. The range of support measures can vary, including leadership development through training and further education, process consulting and coaching offers, and providing additional resources in the form of time, equipment, and funding.

The symposium addresses this complex issue through four papers from the UK, the USA and Germany.

The first paper examines the importance of school leadership in the turnaround process of underperforming schools and explores its influence on school improvement through a review of evidence from 2010-2020. The paper provides insights on current research and generates seven key themes based on the selected evidence, that related specifically to the leadership in the improvement of underperforming schools. 

The second paper examines school improvement planning in the context of underperforming schools in the United States. It investigates the mechanisms and effectiveness of the University Leadership Development Program (ULDP) which is an in-service program that partners with school districts to provide both district-level leaders and school principals of underperforming schools with joint professional learning services.

The third paper investigates the development and implementation of leadership pipelines in the United States which operate to identify and prepare candidates for school leadership positions to address shortages in the education profession, especially hard to staff schools. The mixed methods study provides insights on the effectiveness and the relevancy of leadership pipelines. 

The fourth paper presents a mixed methods longitudinal study assessing the quality and benefits of a support program for schools facing challenging circumstances. The study assesses the impact of interventions on school leadership, development, and overall quality and highlights the importance of coherent and persistent interventions which also consider the school context for successful changes in the school quality.

The symposium will discuss the role of leadership for school turnaround, the effectiveness of school development programs, necessary conditions for successful implementation, and practical implications with the plenary. 

Overall, this symposium seeks to contribute valuable insights into enhancing school improvement efforts in underperforming schools and those facing challenging circumstances. By focusing on effective leadership and evidence-based interventions, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the strategies and approaches necessary to drive positive change and foster educational success in challenging contexts.

Author. (2017). Author. (2020).