Incompatibility between politics and practice: a review portrait of the middle leader role in lower secondary school initiated by a Danish case

Abstract

This integrative literature review offers a portrait of the middle leader in lower secondary school, emphasising practical insights. Initiated by a Danish case study, it shows the middle leader as a formally appointed teacher with an add-on responsibility for pedagogical development in collaboration with colleagues and management. By exploring the middle leader role in a manner that deviates from a widespread conventional understanding of distributed leadership the aim is to build an alternative and novel knowledge base. While middle leaders are placed outside the formal managerial hierarchy, policy discourse outlines that management can effectively distribute some of their decision-making authority to middle leaders. However, this top-down normative interpretation of distributed leadership has problematic implications in practice. To explore this matter, a systems theory framework is employed to gather and analyse literature directly addressing the role and function of middle leaders. This lens enables shifting focus from policy ideals to the actual practice. A total of 93 peer-reviewed papers are included making two key contributions. First, the middle leader role must be defined as distinct from leadership and collegial roles. Second, if the middle leader role is applied as a standardised strategy, more appropriate responses to school challenges may be overlooked.