Strengthening school leadership to optimise school organization for student and school team needs is an ongoing challenge. Recognizing the need for stronger support for school leaders, the Flemish Government (Belgium) has supported two-year professionalization initiatives (PI) for school leaders within a collaborative network. The central premise of the PI was collective learning among school leaders, as previous research has shown that this is a powerful tool for school leaders (Orr & Orphanos, 2011). The research aim was to study these PI by mapping conditions (e.g., characteristics of PI, collaborative network, school leader, and school), learning processes, and results of PI (Merchie, et al., 2018). First, a literature review about school leader professionalisation and strong school leadership was conducted to identify which conditions and results were best studied. This review led to a research model for the study. This model presents several elements: 1) purpose of PI, 2) characteristics of PI, 3) characteristics of collaborative networks, 4) characteristics of school leaders and their context, and 5) indications of effects. To study these, survey data were collected from school leaders and PI organizers at the start (n=396) and end of the PI (n=269). Furthermore, a case study was conducted to analyse learning processes of school leaders in 4 purposefully selected collaborative networks using logbooks, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis. The results show that the PI have led to positive effects in terms of participant satisfaction, changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as well as changes in the practices of school leaders. The research makes observations that are important to consider in shaping future PI for school leaders. For instance, the process coach, associated with a collaborative network, plays a crucial role for indications of effects and the way in which the characteristics of the PI are perceived. How the process coach puts PI characteristics into practice influences how participants experience the program and its effects. Also, some characteristics play a larger role when considering indications of effects. Offering a coherent program, taking into account individual needs and prior knowledge, and providing opportunities to apply what has been learned appear to be crucial. Additionally, collaborative network characteristics play a role. More specifically, trust among school leaders within the network is essential for achieving collective learning. In line with previous research (Orr & Barber, 2007), the study concludes that characteristics of school leaders and schools play a limited role.

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