Charisma, claimocracy and education policy in England and Norway

Education reform internationally has focused on school principals as corporate transformational leaders. Our research in England and Norway has identified the problematics of this model, where we have recognised an education reform claimocracy that has committed policy violence through this imposed identity. We explain the meaning and evidence for a claimocracy, and we show convergences in reform design and intentions. We then examine the divergences, and show how the political system and the ideological views of those who occupy roles and institutions matter, and this is used to explain how corporate transformational leadership has been variously adopted, resisted and developed within the two systems. We argue that the field of critical educational leadership needs to give attention not only to the problematics of this model, but to examine how the political system and the policy practices of its occupants need to be examined historically in regard to assertions about the good school leader.