Critical Education Policy and Leadership Studies The Intellectual Contributions of Helen M. Gunter

Tanya Fitzgerald is Professor of Higher Education and Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Western Australia. Tanya’s research interests span leadership and policy in higher education, the history of women's higher education, and educational biography. Tanya is Editor in Chief of the Handbook of Historical Studies in Education (Springer, 2020), and co-editor of the series, Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education (Bloomsbury Academic, with Jon Nixon and Helen M Gunter) Her scholarly publications include numerous books, book chapters and journal articles and she is a regular contributor to social media debates. Current projects include a history of scholarly women and academic diplomacy, and an analysis of the biographies and career trajectories of vice chancellors of the top 100 universities.

Steven J. Courtney is Professor of Sociology of Education and Director of Research at the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester. Steven’s research explores areas including education policy, system leadership, charisma, structural reform, depoliticisation and education privatisation, particularly in relation to the identities and practices of those constructed as educational leaders. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal  Critical Studies in Education  and co-convenor of the MIE research group, Critical Education Leadership and Policy (CELP). His most recent book (2021) is ‘Understanding educational leadership: Critical perspectives and approaches’ with Bloomsbury, co-edited with Gunter, Niesche and Trujillo. He is currently investigating former school leaders’ experiences of leaving the headship.