School improvement for schools facing challenging circumstances: A review of research and practice

Abstract

Ⅲ There has been the creation of an infrastructure to enable the knowledge base, both 'best practice' and research findings, to be utilised.This has involved an internal focus on collaborative patterns of staff development that enable teachers to enquire into practice, and has involved external strategies for dissemination and networking;Ⅲ There has been an increasing consciousness of the importance of 'capacity building'.This includes not only staff development, but also medium term strategic planning, change strategies that utilise 'pressure and support', as well as the intelligent use of external support agencies;Ⅲ There has been an adoption of a 'mixed' methodological orientation, in which bodies of quantitative data plus qualitative data are used to measure educational quality, and variation in that quality.This includes an audit of existing classroom and school processes and outcomes, and comparison with desired end states, in particular the education experiences of different pupil groups;Ⅲ There has been an increased emphasis upon the importance of ensuring reliability or 'fidelity' in pro- gramme implementation across all organisational members within schools, a marked contrast with the past when improvement programmes did not have to be organisationally 'tight';Ⅲ There has been an appreciation of the importance of cultural change in order to embed and sustain school improvement.There has been a focus on a careful balance between 'vision building' and the adapting of structures to support those aspirations;Ⅲ There has been also an increased concern to ensure that the improvement programmes relate to, and impact upon, practitioners and practices through using increasingly sophisticated training, coaching and development programmes.