Phronesis and flourishing in school leadership: Exploring the effects of an executive education program in practical wisdom

Practical wisdom—the capacity for sound, context-sensitive judgment—is essential for school leadership, yet empirical evidence of its development remains limited. This exploratory mixed-methods conceptual replication study examined whether a structured, team-based program grounded in the Practical Wisdom Framework was associated with school leaders’ practical wisdom and flourishing. Findings suggested a medium effect in the Meaning and Purpose domain of the Flourishing Index (d = 0.73[95%CI: 0.12, 1.35]), and approaching-medium effects that did not show statistical significance in Physical and Mental Health (d = 0.45[−0.12, 1.02]) and Character and Virtue (d = 0.43[−0.14, 1.00]). With regard to practical wisdom, SWIS scores did not increase and the effect was negligible (d = −0.07 [−0.59, 0.46]). Qualitative findings provided convergent evidence of strengthened reflection, alignment between goals and actions, shared agency, and collaborative leadership. Taken together, the results extend prior findings and offer preliminary evidence regarding whether practical wisdom and flourishing may develop through structured professional development.