Shaping School Success

This book is a unique primer for school professionals, educators and policymakers to develop a solid understanding of the domains essential to cultivating and sustaining successful schools. It also provides essential reading for researchers interested in these issues more broadly.

In response to various sensationalist discourses around schooling that dominate both mainstream and social media, the authors draw upon both long-standing and up-to-date research from around the world to present a more accurate, holistic, and optimistic approach. The book identifies the key domains that are necessary to address concerns in equity, leadership and teaching for enhanced student learning and wellbeing. Specifically, these domains relate to: (1) system-wide approaches to enhance school performance; (2) building teacher capability for student learning; (3) educational leadership as a vehicle for leading learning; and (4) building community ‘infrastructures’ for equitable, place-based learning. The book can be used in several ways: each chapter can be read as a stand-alone overview of key areas for school improvement. The broad topics are important jigsaw puzzle pieces that are necessary to ‘see the whole picture’ of a successful school/system. Each chapter includes ‘Key messages’ and ‘Ways forward’ and closes with extension questions to further guide thinking through the ‘big ideas’ presented in each chapter and how they are relevant to different schooling and policy contexts.

Grounded in research into productive and proactive system and school practices from around the world, this book ensures professional educators are equipped with the latest research and practice, without being overwhelmed by the detail.

This book provides an accessible and nuanced account of school success, distilling significant research and raising important questions about what ‘high performance’, ‘quality teaching’ and ‘leadership for learning’ look like in contemporary times. Essential reading for school and system leaders and those who support them, the book will break open important and generative conversations about teachers’ work, student learning, and educational leadership.

Professor Nicole Mockler, School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Australia

This ambitious international volume brings together a range of views and perspectives to challenge school leaders to think again about educational success. It is wide-ranging in scope, covering teaching expertise, leadership, infrastructure, community and equity. It will be a fascinating read for anyone interested in thought-provoking, fresh insights into school reform grounded in research.

Professor Alice Bradbury, Institute of Education, University College London, UK

Ian Hardy is Associate Professor of Education at the School of Education, The University of Queensland, Australia.

Shiralee Poed is Associate Professor at the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

Christina Gowlett is Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

Stephen Heimans is Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

Elizabeth J Edwards is Associate Professor at the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

Danielle Armour is Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland.

Katherine McLay is Lecturer at the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

Suraiya Abdul Hameed is Lecturer and Program Director of Master Educational Studies in the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

Andrew Beencke recently completed his doctoral thesis at The University of Queensland, focusing on critical thinking education, classroom culture, and virtue epistemology.

Richard Lee is a Global Change Scholar pursuing a doctor of philosophy at the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

Laura Rueda Balaguera is an experienced teaching professional and is currently undertaking her doctoral study at The University of Queensland.

Michelle Ocriciano is a PhD candidate at the School of Education, The University of Queensland.

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