ABSTRACT

This chapter attempts to depict a collective portrait of Chinese school principals. Drawing on empirical studies and literature reviews that the author and her research team have carried out in the past few years, the chapter can provide some initial answers to three questions: What are the major expectations of school principals in China? What repertoire of leadership skills is shared by Chinese principals? What sociocultural factors shape school principalship in China? A focus on these three questions is expected to shed light on an initial understanding of who Chinese principals are, what leadership strategies they employ and why they do what they do. The chapter provides some initial insights on the major common features of Chinese principalship and contributes to the indigenous understandings in this field.