Leadership and internal policy in sustainable schools: Exploring the perceptions of primary education executives in Greece

Evgenia Doulami; Anastasia Dimitriou

doi:10.29333/ijese/17763

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Evgenia Doulami ¹ ^* , Anastasia Dimitriou ²

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¹ Democritus University of Thrace, GREECE² School of Early Childhood Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GREECE^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

A principal’s vision for their school is the cornerstone of any development strategy and educational transformation. This is not simply a general statement of aspirations but a clearly defined and inspiring “picture” of the school’s future, based on an accurate understanding of its current situation, potential and needs. A principal with vision systematically utilizes available human and material resources, motivates staff, students, parents, and local stakeholders and creates the conditions for active participation and collaboration toward common goals, incorporating core values such as equality, sustainability, and democracy into a framework for shaping a school that promotes learning, innovation, and social responsibility. The present study scrutinizes issues related to the management of a sustainable school and, in particular, outlines the “expected” characteristics of a sustainable school principal, as well as the pillars of internal policy formation, as reflected in the discourse of primary education executives in Greece.

Keywords

leadership
education for the environment and sustainability
sustainable schools
internal policy
education executives

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED, Volume 22, Issue 1, 2026, Article No: e2606

https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/17763

Publication date: 20 Jan 2026

Article Views: 34

Article Downloads: 14

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How to cite this article

APA

Doulami, E., & Dimitriou, A. (2026). Leadership and internal policy in sustainable schools: Exploring the perceptions of primary education executives in Greece. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 22(1), e2606. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/17763

Vancouver

Doulami E, Dimitriou A. Leadership and internal policy in sustainable schools: Exploring the perceptions of primary education executives in Greece. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2026;22(1):e2606. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/17763

AMA

Doulami E, Dimitriou A. Leadership and internal policy in sustainable schools: Exploring the perceptions of primary education executives in Greece. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2026;22(1), e2606. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/17763

Chicago

Doulami, Evgenia, and Anastasia Dimitriou. "Leadership and internal policy in sustainable schools: Exploring the perceptions of primary education executives in Greece". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education 2026 22 no. 1 (2026): e2606. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/17763

Harvard

Doulami, E., and Dimitriou, A. (2026). Leadership and internal policy in sustainable schools: Exploring the perceptions of primary education executives in Greece. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 22(1), e2606. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/17763

MLA

Doulami, Evgenia et al. "Leadership and internal policy in sustainable schools: Exploring the perceptions of primary education executives in Greece". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, vol. 22, no. 1, 2026, e2606. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/17763