Nurturing a Climate of Innovation in a Didactic Educational System: A Case Study Exploring Leadership in Private Schools in Turkey

Major economic, social, and technological changes in the twenty-first century require a transformation in the everyday practices that educational institutions use to train future innovators. Through a case study on five schools within a network of private schools in Istanbul, Turkey, we explore how school principals and teachers nurture an innovation climate in their schools. Using methodological triangulation that combines semi-structured interviews, participant observation, interactive training sessions, and archival data, we identify four leadership practices that shape a climate conducive to innovation in these schools: (a) fostering the creativity of the members of school society or community, (b) developing a collaborative learning ecosystem, (c) encouraging innovative teaching through online collaborative learning spaces and ICT, and (d) empowering teachers to generate an adaptable curriculum in a flexible work environment. Findings indicate the significance of building a collaborative ecosystem that enables a separation or departure from the mainstream traditional and test-oriented education system in Turkey, which in turn inspires the creativity of teachers and students in the fabric of daily school life.