Centre for International Research into Leadership in Education (CIRLE)

The Centre for International Research into Leadership in Education (CIRLE) works with national and international scholars to generate new research-informed knowledge, ideas and practices about leadership in education.

The Centre grounds its research in the real-world challenges facing education leaders globally. The Centre works with a diverse range of international and national Associates who have expertise in research and practice within the field of leadership in education.

The Centre has also partnered with the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) and the Educational Leadership Network (ELN) to create new opportunities for disseminating  cutting edge research and collaborative working. It is also working with the European Leadership Network in Education and the New South Wales School Leadership Institute.

Current research themes include:

• System leadership
• Teacher leadership
• Women in leadership
• Distributed leadership
• Compassionate Leadership
• Crisis Leadership

Funding

The Centre has a range of current research projects and new research applications that involve the following organisations:

Key staff

Co-Directors

• Professor Alma Harris
• Professor Michelle Jones
• ​​Professor Julia Longville

CIRLE Affiliates

International and national affiliates currently work with Centre colleagues to broaden and enrich the research work undertaken.

International Affiliates

These renowned scholars bring a critical, global research perspective to educational leadership and are key partners:

• Dr Donnie Adams, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Professor Cecilia Azorín, University of Murcia, Spain
• Professor Carol Campbell, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
• Professor Paul Campbell, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• Professor Chris Chapman, University of Glasgow, Scotland
• Professor Graham Donaldson, University of Glasgow, Scotland
• Dr Karen Edge, University College London, England
• Professor Emeritus Michael Fullan, University of Toronto, Canada
• Dr Avis Glase International Education Adviser
  Former Ontario Education Commissioner, Canada
• Professor Ellen Goldring, Vanderbilt University, United States
• Professor Andy Hargreaves, Boston College, United States, and University of Ottawa, Canada
• Professor Ann McIntyre, University of Sydney, Australia
• Dr Bernie Moreno, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Dr Dong Nguyen, Durham University, England
• Professor Petros Pashiardis, Open University of Cyprus, Cyprus
• Professor Pasi Sahlberg, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Dr Lyn Sharratt, OISE, University of Toronto, Canada
• Professor Jim Spillane, Northwestern University, United States
• Dr Nicola Sum, Monash University, Australia
• Dr Bambang Sumintono, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

National Affiliates

National Affiliates are involved in research-based programmes, projects and publications that help to improve the scholarly knowledge base on educational leadership.

Publications

Centre for International Research into Leadership in Education (CIRLE) - Research Explorer

Journal

CIRLE is linked to the highly prestigious and impactful journal, School Leadership and Management.

Events

International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) Regional Event – Wales

Date: Friday 27 June 2025
Location: Cardiff City Stadium

This invite-only event brings together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from Wales and beyond to share their experiences, knowledge and expertise.

Organised by the Welsh Government, ICSEI and Cardiff Met, the event includes keynote addresses, parallel sessions, poster sessions, as well as a policy forum at the end of the day.

The programme will explore how to repurpose education so that equitable educational outcomes and experiences are available to all children and young people – whatever their situation or background.

To find out more about ICSEI 2025, please email ICSEIWales@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

Post-conference dissemination pack

After the conference, a link to the dissemination pack – which includes videos, papers, posters and information about ICSEI membership and its annual congress – will be added here.

Find out more about CIRLE

Visit the Centre’s research explorer page to learn more about its members, research outputs, collaborations and how its work contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

To register your interest in CIRLE, please email Professor Alma Harris at AHarris@cardiffmet.ac.uk.