Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1. INTRODUCTION -- Educational reform, standards, and school leadership -- Part 2. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES -- Responsibility in a high-accountability system: leading schools in England -- Instructional leadership in the era of no child left behind: perspectives from the United States -- Educational leadership in the context of low-stakes accountability: the Canadian perspective -- Pathways of educational leadership: monitoring and developing skill levels among educational leaders in Australia -- The shape and shaping of school leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand -- Policy and practice in Swedish education, assessment, and school leadership -- Standardization, deregulation, and school administration reform in Japan -- School leadership, accountability, and assessment reform in Hong Kong -- Leadership in Qatar's educational reform -- Part 3. Conclusion -- Thoughts on school leadership policy, practice, and future inquiry.