School leadership and teacher performance in basic education: A structured review, 2022–2026

Abstract

School leadership has been associated with teacher performance across educational systems, although studies apply different concepts, measures, and research designs. This review examined the contexts, methods, and findings of empirical research addressing both constructs in basic education. A structured literature review with narrative synthesis covered publications dated from 2022 through 2026. A reconstructed documentary inventory contained 52 records; 21 were excluded during initial screening. Of the remaining 31 reports, two full texts could not be retrieved and three reports were excluded after assessment of relevance. The synthesis considers 26 studies from several countries, including quantitative and qualitative research and one pre-experimental study. Correlational findings indicated positive associations of varying strengths, while some studies found nonsignificant results for specific dimensions of leadership. School culture, teacher self-efficacy, and pedagogical mentoring appeared as relevant contextual or mediating factors. Overall, the reviewed evidence suggests associations between leadership practices and aspects of teacher performance, but it does not support universal causal conclusions. The documented identification process was targeted and reconstructed rather than exhaustive. Accordingly, the study selection diagram is an adaptation of PRISMA 2020, not evidence of a reproducible systematic search. Findings should therefore be interpreted cautiously in relation to each study's methods and setting.