Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Educational Leadership: A Systematic Review of Ethical Issues, Implementation Challenges, and Practical Use

Abstract

The integration of AI in education is transforming schools and the work of educational leaders. However, AI adoption also raises ethical concerns and presents substantial challenges that school leaders should consider. This systematic review examines research on the use of AI in K-12 school leadership, focusing on four key areas: (1) ethical considerations, (2) challenges to AI adoption, (3) perceived benefits, and (4) practical applications in leadership practices. We followed a systematic narrative review approach, analyzing peer-reviewed literature from WoS, Scopus, ERIC, and Google Scholar. 26 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The results revealed that while AI offers promising benefits for educational leaders, such as enhancing decision-making, efficiency, and dealing with time-consuming administrative tasks, its adoption remains limited due to a range of challenges, including a lack of AI literacy, inadequate professional development, data privacy and fairness concerns, misinformation, the lack of capacity for emotional judgment, as well as access disparities. Despite these obstacles, evidence suggests that some leaders are incorporating AI into administrative tasks, yet often without clear guidelines. Implications for policy, practice, and future research have been discussed.