This is an overview of school leadership from the standpoint of improving the quality of teaching and learning, outlining, in particular, the main trends in the 2000s and subsequent developments. School leaders’ responsibilities and tasks have increased in the last decade, and greater independence has been granted to schools in some cases. School leadership policies have perforce been adapted to new environments and emerging challenges. Many countries are therefore trying to create conditions to suit future educational environments. Expectations in regard to school leaders have changed, and the distribution of their tasks must be reconsidered, as must the levels of training, support and incentives provided. Four case studies, illustrating various school-leadership models and practices, are reviewed as examples of the current situation. The cases show that school leaders can triumph over the odds only in an appropriate context, when they are highly regarded socially and are given opportunities for professional development and support and can so become better educational and administrative managers. The report ends with a discussion on the conditions required for effective school leadership and the way in which it is linked to the quality of teaching and learning. It is hoped that the more decisive role that school leadership must play in post-2015 world development will thus be prioritized.