Leadership as Sustainability: Context and Primary School Principals in Jamaica

School leadership is as challenging as it is rewarding. And, in a fast paced educational policy environment, school leaders sometimes are having to play catch up with the latest government mandate. This challenge is exacerbated in environments where economic and social problems, and lack of parental engagement in education are a daily occurrence and a significant risk to the effectiveness of schools. Whilst we recognise the notion of sustainable school leadership is continuing its evolution, we also acknowledge it is not a single act, and nor is it enacted by a single individual. Reporting findings from a qualitative study of primary school leaders in Jamaica, we argue that sustainable school leadership is not a new form of leadership, but rather a type of leadership that combines multiple practices to produce long-term impacts on members of a school community that are ‘now’ and ‘futures’ oriented.