**1. Introduction**

The development of quality education is closely linked to effective leadership [1]; however, attaining effective leadership is a challenge that many schools grapple with daily. Concerns have been raised about colonial forms of leadership and management in education systems, for example, leading by domination which deprives those who are oppressed, the agency and opportunity to take risks and contribute to the development of their schools [2]. Internationally, leadership styles such as distributive, democratic and transformational, just to mention a few, have replaced colonial styles of leadership. This is allowing teachers to support headteachers in decision-making to improve school practices. In Ghana, where this study was conducted, government has implemented several education reforms, for example, a free pre-tertiary education policy to expand educational access to all citizens; however, little attention has been given to school leadership.

This chapter aims to contribute to the literature on school leadership for educational change by examining selected Ghanaian Junior High School teachers' and headteachers' experiences and perspectives of effective leadership practices in their schools. This focus is important because leadership is frequently mentioned as one of the panaceas for educational transformation, but which is at the bottom of consideration in educational policy making in Ghana. With more demands placed

on schools to make all students learn and succeed in education, there is a need for developing systems whereby headteachers and teachers can work together with less political interference to transform schools.

This chapter has three main purposes: (1) to glean the insider perspectives of teachers and headteachers about the concept of effective leaders; (2) to gain insights into the leadership practices and possibilities offered by Pierre Bourdieu's theory in analyzing those practices; and (3) to identify the challenges the teachers and headteachers face pertaining to leadership effectiveness in their schools and ways to improve existing practices. These purposes indicate the need to further explore and understand leadership issues in the context of school practice in Ghana. Understanding the perspectives of teachers and headteachers about how leadership is enacted and the opportunities and challenges that exist are crucial for improving schools. In view of this purpose, the following three qualitative research questions were formulated to lead the investigation.


In the sections that follow, the chapter introduces the literature on Pierre Bourdieu's ideas with respect to leadership, followed by the study to illustrate teachers' and headteachers' experiences in relation to the enactment of school leaders' roles. We conclude with an analysis of implications and ways to transform leadership processes in Ghanaian schools so that school leaders and their followers can work as a team to improve school performance.
