Effective change leading to school improvement is the focus of this practical text. Designed to be dipped into, or read as a whole, the contributors recount their experiences of effecting change in schools in one inner-city LEA. The story unfolds through the eyes of the project manager, the Director of Education, headteachers and project co- ordinators, and the external evaluator. Adopting a case study approach, evidence is presented of what happened in three schools investigated and the book includes contributions from students, parents and governors.; The volume examines what actually works to improve and make schools more effective, and should be of interest to all those involved in any way with school improvement.
Author(s): Kate Myers
Edition: 1
Year: 1995
Language: English
Pages: 170
Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Dedication......Page 3
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 7
Foreword......Page 8
The Local Context......Page 9
The Schools......Page 10
About the Book......Page 12
Reference......Page 13
Introduction......Page 15
School Effectiveness......Page 16
1 Professional Leadership......Page 17
4 Concentration on Teaching and Learning......Page 18
8 Monitoring Progress......Page 19
School Improvement......Page 20
Managing Change......Page 25
Action Research......Page 28
Was SMAD Action Research?......Page 30
Projects......Page 32
Duration......Page 33
The ‘Project Effect’......Page 34
References......Page 35
The Role of the LEA in Improvement......Page 38
Strategic......Page 40
Resourcing......Page 41
Support......Page 42
Monitoring......Page 43
2 The Chief Inspector’s View......Page 45
The Aim......Page 46
The Project Manager......Page 48
Retrospective commentary......Page 49
Setting Up......Page 53
Appointment of Coordinators......Page 54
The Steering Group......Page 55
The Coordinators’ Group......Page 57
Heads and Coordinators......Page 58
Project Plans......Page 59
Strategies......Page 61
Directly affecting students......Page 65
Strategies directly affecting parents......Page 75
Strategies aimed at improving the learning environment......Page 76
Duration of SMAD......Page 77
The Tension Between Pressure and Support......Page 78
Managing the Budget......Page 79
Instability and Inner-city Schools......Page 80
‘State of Readiness’......Page 81
Replicability and Transferability......Page 82
Life after SMAD......Page 83
References......Page 84
How We Began......Page 85
The Deputy Head’s Role......Page 87
Influence on Management......Page 88
Outcomes......Page 89
Keeping It Going......Page 90
Final Thoughts…......Page 91
Getting Going......Page 92
Back at School......Page 93
Students and Staff Working Together—What We Did with the Capital Bid......Page 95
Changing the Environment......Page 98
Putting It into Practice and Making It Real......Page 99
Flexible Teaching and Learning and the Extended Day Programme Linked Together in the KeeleUniversity Survey......Page 106
Keeping It Going......Page 107
Acknowledgments......Page 108
The School......Page 109
The Heads......Page 110
Life after SMAD......Page 113
Dreams and Nightmares......Page 114
Getting Going......Page 115
What We Did......Page 118
References......Page 133
The Nature of the Project......Page 134
General Benefits for Pupils......Page 135
General Benefits for Teachers......Page 136
Factors Aiding Development......Page 137
The Project Manager......Page 138
The SMAD School Coordinators......Page 141
Headteacher-Coordinator Partnership......Page 145
The SMAD Working Party......Page 146
Other More General Factors that Aided Development......Page 147
Factors Hindering Development......Page 148
Developments Directly Affecting the Learning Environment of the School......Page 149
Developments Directly Affecting Students......Page 150
Curriculum Initiatives......Page 156
Forms of Student Monitoring and Support......Page 158
Curriculum Differentiation and Active Approaches to Learning......Page 160
Work with Parents and Forms of Mentoring Involving Adults other than Teachers......Page 161
Some Key Issues and Questions That the Project has Raised......Page 162
Overall Conclusions......Page 164
Methodology......Page 167
Epilogue The Schools Make a Difference Project......Page 169
List of Contributors......Page 174
Index......Page 176
