TY - JOUR

T1 - Whole-school sustainability at the core of quality education

T2 - Wished for by principals but requiring collective and structural action

AU - Holst, Jorrit

AU - Brock, Antje

AU - Grund, Julius

AU - Schlieszus, Ann Kathrin

AU - Singer-Brodowski, Mandy

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors

PY - 2025/8/10

Y1 - 2025/8/10

N2 - In the face of global challenges, sustainability has become a defining concern of the 21st century and hence a critical pillar of quality education. Principals, as pivotal actors in school development, can provide important perspectives on the current state and future developments of whole-school sustainability. However, while their role in promoting sustainability is widely recognized, systematic, national-scale insights concerning their views on sustainability in schools and the school system remain scarce. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of 80 semi-structured interviews and a representative survey (n = 1310) with principals in Germany, the article provides an in-depth and large-scale assessment of leaders’ perspectives on the current and wished-for status, challenges, and drivers of sustainability at schools. We find that 80 % of principals wish for sustainability to be a core element of school education, yet 62 % describe the current status quo as non-existent, isolated or an occasional add-on. Perceived challenges include a lack of resources, structural integration, as well as prevailing rule-systems and mindsets that hinder sustainability (e.g., normality of unsustainability, strong performance- and grade-orientation, systemic inertia). To overcome current challenges, the principals point to a need for considerably higher prioritization of sustainability by decision-makers at all levels. Overall, the findings indicate that sustainability in school education is currently limited by a system in which sustainability is an additive, not a default, and where responsibility for sustainability is often individualized, fragmented and diffused. In light of the findings, we discuss the relevance of more collective, structure-oriented and political sustainability learning, which is prioritized as a core feature of quality education.

AB - In the face of global challenges, sustainability has become a defining concern of the 21st century and hence a critical pillar of quality education. Principals, as pivotal actors in school development, can provide important perspectives on the current state and future developments of whole-school sustainability. However, while their role in promoting sustainability is widely recognized, systematic, national-scale insights concerning their views on sustainability in schools and the school system remain scarce. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of 80 semi-structured interviews and a representative survey (n = 1310) with principals in Germany, the article provides an in-depth and large-scale assessment of leaders’ perspectives on the current and wished-for status, challenges, and drivers of sustainability at schools. We find that 80 % of principals wish for sustainability to be a core element of school education, yet 62 % describe the current status quo as non-existent, isolated or an occasional add-on. Perceived challenges include a lack of resources, structural integration, as well as prevailing rule-systems and mindsets that hinder sustainability (e.g., normality of unsustainability, strong performance- and grade-orientation, systemic inertia). To overcome current challenges, the principals point to a need for considerably higher prioritization of sustainability by decision-makers at all levels. Overall, the findings indicate that sustainability in school education is currently limited by a system in which sustainability is an additive, not a default, and where responsibility for sustainability is often individualized, fragmented and diffused. In light of the findings, we discuss the relevance of more collective, structure-oriented and political sustainability learning, which is prioritized as a core feature of quality education.

KW - Leadership

KW - Quality education

KW - School development

KW - Sustainability education

KW - Whole institution approach

KW - Whole school approach

KW - Educational science

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

KW - Sustainability Governance

KW - Environmental Governance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105008146785&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145897

DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145897

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:105008146785

VL - 519

JO - Journal of Cleaner Production

JF - Journal of Cleaner Production

SN - 0959-6526

M1 - 145897

ER -