Principals as socio-religious curators: progressive and conservative approaches in Islamic schools Melanie C. Brooks Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Jeffrey S. Brooks School of Education, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia Agus Mutohar Faculty of Tarbiya and General Education, Walisongo State Islamic University, Semarang, Indonesia, and Imam Taufiq Faculty of the Humanities and Islamic Theology, Walisongo State Islamic University, Semarang, Indonesia Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study was to investigate how socio-religious dynamics influence (and are influenced by) principals in Islamic schools. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative case study took place in Semarang, Indonesia. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with school leaders along with school site observations. To frame the study, we drew from both Indonesian and international scholarship to understand extant perspectives on the context and on the ways that principals influence socio-religious thinking and practices in schools. Findings – Findings suggested that principals’ personal experiences and beliefs are central to the ways that socio-religious thinking and practices are manifest in their school. Principals practice more progressive or conservative leadership by influencing the degree to which the school is (a) an open or closed system, (b) inclusive or exclusive in their practices and (c) plural or unitary in their teaching. In making decisions along each of these continua, principals in Islamic schools “curate” a socio-religious educational environment. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature on principals and socio-religious dynamics in schools by discovering specific continua of practice that collectively suggest a more conservative or progressive interpretation of Islam. As this area is understudied in educational leadership, the study makes a foundational empirical contribution, suggests theoretical constructs heretofore unexplored, and advances the notion of principal as curator of educational practice. Keywords Principals, Indonesia, Curator, Islamic schooling, Socio-religious Paper type Research paper Islam is the second largest religion in the world, and over the next several decades it is projected to outpace all other religions in terms of growth (Lipka, 2017). Yet, there is a paucity of research on leadership in Islamic schools (Brooks, 2019; Khalil and DeCuir, 2018; Shah, 2016; Striepe, 2016). We seek to make a contribution to this gap in the literature by relating findings from a research study conducted in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, and a country whose education system is paradoxically lauded as an exemplar of high- quality Islamic schooling and derided as a site of extremist indoctrination (Abuza, 2007). Principals as socio-religious curators Funding: This research is funded by a grant from the Australia-Indonesia Centre, through the Attitudes and Perceptions Tactical Research Projects program. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0957-8234.htm Received 8 January 2020 Revised 7 February 2020 12 February 2020 14 February 2020 8 April 2020 19 April 2020 Accepted 24 April 2020 Journal of Educational Administration © Emerald Publishing Limited 0957-8234 DOI 10.1108/JEA-01-2020-0004