➡ Where: Online (Zoom)
➡ Date: Tuesday 10th March 2026
➡ Time: 3.00pm – 4.30pm (UK time)
We welcome you to a seminar from the Governance and Governing Research Interest Group, entitled, ‘What is School Governance? Findings from the Literature’.
Join host, Dr Andy Allen, and guest speaker, Dr Denise Mifsud, who will present findings from the recently published and insightful ‘Systematic Review of School Governance Literature Between 2000 and 2023’ – a joint publication with Dr Andrew Wilkins. Participants will also, as usual, have an opportunity to hear an update on the Governance and Governance RIG’s research endeavours.
Presentation Abstract:
School governance is a contested concept due to ongoing disagreements over its meaning and application, particularly in education sub-fields like leadership, management, and administration (ELMA). Aware of global efforts to differentiate ELMA’s knowledge base, this study critically reviews school governance literature from 2000 to 2023.
Using PRISMA guidelines, 361 journal articles were identified from Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Statistical and qualitative methods revealed trends in volume, geography, and publication. Statistical results point to interesting findings, revealing a consistent upward trend in volume, together with an internationalisation of the ELMA field beyond the Global North, being published more widely in generic education journals including the Global South.
A critical narrative synthesis of the 361 publications enabled the construction of a conceptual framework based on five main themes: school participation politics; autonomy and control; policy reform trends; global education confluences and influences; and digital governance. These findings yield important insight for future research relevant to theory, policy, and practice while simultaneously identifying blind spots and gaps in the field, thus laying the groundwork for future knowledge production.
We hope you can join us for the seminar.
Please note, this event is free to BELMAS members and £5.00 for non-members. To ensure you receive your free ticket, please log in on the BELMAS website before booking.
If you pay the non-member fee to attend and then become a BELMAS Member within a month of the event taking place, please let us know and we will refund the £5 fee.
Registration will close at midnight (UK) on Sunday 8th March 2026.
Denise Mifsud
Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, Management & Governance Director of Studies, Doctor of Education (EdD) (thesis stage), Director of Short Courses, Department of Education, University of Bath
Dr Denise Mifsud is Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, Management and Governance in the Department of Education at the University of Bath, UK. Her research interests are focused on critical perspectives in educational leadership, especially distributed forms, school networks, social justice, policy generation and enactment, and teacher education, situated within post-structural Foucauldian theory and the socio-material Actor-Network Theory.
She has many years of practitioner experience in education settings in both teaching and top-level leadership roles within the Ministry for Education, Malta, in addition to higher education experience in Malta, Scotland and England She has published in several international top-rated journals, in addition to monographs and edited volumes, as well as won awards by the AERA, EERA and SERA. Besides journal editorial roles, she has also held voluntary leadership roles in BELMAS and BERA.
She is also Convenor of the International Collective for the Study of Michel Foucault and Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy.
Joining instructions will be sent out the day before the event, so please keep an eye on your inbox for these. We look forward to seeing you at the event!
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The Co-Convenors of the Governance and Governing Research Interest Group (RIG) hosted a seminar on Tuesday 10th March 2026 entitled, ‘What is School Governance? Findings from the Literature’.
Co-Convenor, Andy Allen, was joined by guest speaker, Dr Denise Mifsud, to present findings from the recently published and insightful ‘Systematic Review of School Governance Literature Between 2000 and 2023’ – a joint publication with Dr Andrew Wilkins.
Participants then had the opportunity to hear from our Co-Convenors on what’s to come in 2026 from the Governance and Governance RIG.
If you missed this event or would like a recap, you can now watch it in full below.
A huge thank you to Andy Allen and his fellow Governance and Governing RIG Co-Convenors, to Denise Mifsud for her thought-provoking presentation, and to everyone who joined us for the seminar. We hope to see you again at the next one.
