School Leadership and Educational Innovation in Scotland: Pathways to Continuous Improvement

This chapter draws on the experiences of school leaders engaging with improvement science (IS) as a continuous improvement (CI) method to build leadership capacity and drive educational change in Scotland. Drawing on 11 in-depth interviews with both primary and secondary principals, the discussion is framed through a case study perspective to examine how leaders interpret, adapt, and apply CI strategies. It also considers how these practices are shaped by local contexts and the wider policy environment. Sensemaking theory provides a conceptual lens to examine how these educators build knowledge and develop confidence in implementing CI practices aimed at addressing the poverty-related attainment gap, particularly literacy and numeracy. The findings indicate that inquiry-driven approaches are shaped by the intersection of personal values, contextual conditions, and systemic pressures, revealing a dynamic tension between practice-based innovation and wider policy mandates. The findings offer a nuanced understanding of leadership as both a catalyst and agent for educational innovation, highlighting how principals navigate complexity to foster sustained educational improvement within the multi-tiered governance structure of Scottish education.