● Integrating academic research knowledge and professional (tacit) knowledge
The first requirement for such an integration is that tacit knowledge should command more respect, particularly from the research community. Indeed, part of the research endeavor in leadership needs to be devoted to clarifying how leaders develop tacit knowledge, that is, the processes by which school leaders acquire it, the substantive form it takes (the areas of leadership it affects), how it affect their practice, and what impact it has on outcomes. This of itself would constitute a bridge between the two. Researching tacit knowledge is not a simple matter for researchers to get at; much of it is implicit, insidious and subtle. Adopting qualitative, in-depth observation and interview techniques may be useful. But if researchers could come to understand tacit knowledge, they would be better able to juxtapose it with their traditional evidence-based knowledge and thus explore ways by which each can inform and strengthen the other.