Self renewing schools where students and staff are involved in ongoing inquiry has long since been an ideal in education. However, this goal has not proved readily achievable. The authors of this book regard this as a challenge which can be confronted positively, believing that enough knowledge exists to develop a fresh structure of school improvement - and one which is likely to succeed. The book draws upon the considerable body of research on successful and unsuccessful school improvement programs to generate a practical strategy for school improvement that can be used by schools, school districts and local education authorities, and policymakers with a high probability of success. The heart of the strategy is an inquiry process centered on the continuous study of student learning and the creation and study of initiatives to enhance student achievement in academic, personal and social domains. The school as a workplace is altered dramatically with the inclusion of study time for teachers, continuous staff development and the organization of a governance structure which includes school staff, parents, community agencies, business partners and local district or education authority personnel. This timely and important book is vital reading for anyone with an interest in improving schools and the quality of education today.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part one: Creating the school as a centre of enquiry: searching for a new structure Building the evolutionary school looking for success in research and experience Centering the school on student learning imagining the possibilities Studying evolving schools watching the process Part two: Elaborating the hypotheses: the detail work of school improvement Establishing the responsible parties organizing the decision-making community Informing, informing and informing conducting education the action research way Embedding staff development living in a state of learning Connecting to the knowledge base finding curricular and instructional options Part three: Refining, renovating and redesigning: taking steps large and small Refining thinking through sets of changes Renovating changing a dimension of the learning environment Redesigning the Pembroke school unfolding an evolutionary state Part four: Policy-making for school renewal: Making the context through National, State and LEA policy Supporting evolution working at a distance from the school Reforming reform renewing the Local Education Authority References Index.