This book analyzes the challenges of developing and implementing effective policies for educational leadership in South-East Europe (SEE) and the Nordic-Baltic region. While individual countries from the Nordic-Baltic region are praised for their educational achievements, the SEE region could be considered as a (post)transitional landscape: these two educational contexts present their own unique challenges, notably international benchmarking and the 'Europeization' of educational policy. Seamlessly integrating theoretical framework with the goals and experiences of actors and practitioners, the editors and contributors build an accessible overview of existing policy research and its conflicting theoretical perspectives. Often disregarded by the mainstream literature, the countries and regions chosen provide a snapshot into the challenges of developing policies for educational leadership. This thoughtful yet practical volume will be of interest and value not only to students and scholars of educational leadership in these regions, but to practitioners and policy makers more widely.