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The 1980's will be a period of restructuring for Australian education and four factors will be central to this process. 1. School‐based decision‐making will mean Principals are increasingly responsible for managing the education tax‐dollar and accountable to the client community. The School council will be the arena in which educators must explain their actions to and receive approval from parents. 2. New administrative structures, manifested in the formulation of major policy decisions in a consultative arena and the organization of Head Offices along functional lines, means a breaking down of traditional “top down” bureaucracy. Schools and Head Offices will be forced to act collegially rather than hierarchically and Principals will be required to show a new independence and responsibility in management. 3. Regionalization, probably the strongest trend to emerge from the structural reform movement, is a result of the dysfunctions, diseconomies, inefficiency and alienation which set in beyond a certain point in system and geographical size. It is here that the difference between an autonomous school system and a region within a system emerge, and the issue of what functions each locus carries must be resolved. 4. Declining and shifting enrolments, a demographic phenomenon, will mean Principals must learn such new skills and responsibilities as the reduction of staff numbers and the improvement of education in the context of decreasing levels of resources and student numbers. By outlining some of the changes facing educational administrators it is hoped that a calculated and coherent response to the demands of the decade will be possible.

Aims to report on the 60th ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show 2005, held in Orlando Florida, 2‐4 April 2005 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Discusses the presentations such as the obesity epidemic in children, educational progress in schools, creating capacity for learning, the human face of technological change, the implications of research and practice in school improvement for the design and implementation of accountability systems and the multiple intelligences of leadership.

The presentations gave excellent opportunities for teachers and researchers to share good practice and dialogue, as many of them were highly interactive.

The paper provides a good overview of the 60th ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show 2005.

Addresses the persistent tension that exists between centralized, as opposed to decentralized (devolved), structures of school governance. Examines the claims made in the literature for the positive benefits of devolution and conversely for its negative outcomes, and proposes some more realistic expectations. Focuses on the relationship between devolution and improved teaching and learning. Contributes to future research by providing a detailed analysis of the meaning of devolution and proposes a preliminary research paradigm with a special focus on the variables likely to have a direct effect on student learning outcomes. Calls for a co‐ordinated international programme of research into the effects of devolution under the leadership of the Commonwealth Council of Educational Administration

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of recent examples of action competence among young people engaged in democratic participatory action in sustainability programs in Australia. It explores examples of priorities identified for citizen action, the forms this action takes and the ways that democratic participation can achieve positive outcomes for future sustainability. It suggests multiple ways for developing action competence that provides further opportunities for authentic and engaging citizen action for youth connected to school- and community-based learning, in new and powerful ways.

This conceptual paper examines international literature on the theory of “action competence,” its significance for education for sustainability (EfS) and the ways it can inform education for young people’s democratic participatory citizenship and civic engagement. It analyses examples of the development of action competency among young people in Australia, including the problems and priorities identified for citizen action, the forms this action takes and how it can achieve positive outcomes for sustainability. Following this analysis, the paper suggests multiple ways for developing action competence in EfS in schools and communities in new and powerful ways.

Developing EfS to increase democratic and participatory action among young citizens is now widely regarded as an urgent education priority. There are growing exemplars of school and community organizations’ involvement in developing EfS learning and teaching to increase participatory citizenship. Young people are being empowered to develop a greater sense of agency through involvement in programs that develop action competence with a focus on sustainability in and out of school. New forms of participation include student action teams and peer collaboration among youth who are marshaling social media and direction action to achieve change.

It contributes to the literature on multiple ways for developing action competence in EfS.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the reform of initial teacher education (ITE) policy in Australia over a 25-year period from 1998 to 2023. It examines policy shifts and movements over this timeframe and aims to better understand the ongoing reforms in the changing contexts of their times.

The paper engages a critical policy historiography approach, focusing on four “policy moments” each linked to a review commissioned by the Commonwealth government of the day. It draws upon the reports and government responses themselves, along with media reports, extracts from Hansard, and ministerial speeches, press releases and interviews related to each of the four policy moments, asking critical questions about the “public issues” and “private troubles” (Gale, 2001) of each moment and aiming to shed light on the complexities of these accounts of policy and the trajectory they represent.

The paper charts the construction of the problem of ITE in Australia over time, highlighting the discursive continuities and shifts since 1998. It traces the constitution of both policy problems and solutions to explain the current policy settlement using a historical lens.

Its value lies in offering a reading of the current policy settlement, based on a close and systematic historical analysis. Where previous research has focused either on particular moments or concepts in ITE reform, this analysis seeks to understand the current policy settlement by taking a longer, contextualised view.

The purpose of this paper is to draw from data collected as part of the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) and present cases of democratic and heroic leadership from three countries, discussing to what extent successful school principals in each of their research sites (Melbourne, Australia; Umeå, Sweden; Arizona and Texas in the USA) carry old and new perspectives of heroism in their leadership. In particular the paper explores two questions: first, how do school principals describe aspects of heroic and post-heroic leadership in their practices? and second, how do these heroic and post-heroic leadership practices meet contemporary demands such as accountability standards and build inclusive and collaborative school communities in challenging contexts?

Multiple-perspective case studies involving semi-structured individual and group interviews with principals, teachers, students, parents and school board members were used to understand the contribution of principals and other leadership to school success.

The definitions of heroic and post-heroic leadership are inadequate in defining successful principal leadership. The Australian, Swedish and American principals showed characteristics of both heroic and post-heroic leadership. They showed heroic qualities such as: inspiring and motivating others; challenging the status quo; showing integrity in conflicting situations; putting duty before self; taking risks to champion a better way; showing courage to stand up to those in authority; advocating for students in struggling neighbourhoods under the scrutiny of both district and public expectations; and, showing uncommon commitment. Yet our principals showed post-heroic leadership such as involving others in decision making and recognising that school success depended on collective effort, and being sensitive to community needs through a deep respect for the local culture.

The research shows that we may need to redefine and recast our images of who school principals are today, and what they do to generate academic success for students. Both heroic and post-heroic images of leadership are needed to explain successful school leadership.

The purpose of this paper is to examine four case studies from the International Successful School Principalship Project to explore and highlight how the role of the principal is critically important to sustaining school success. Implications for improving the preparation of aspiring and practicing school leaders are discussed.

Data were collected using multiple sources, including documents and interviews with a variety of people including the principal, other school leaders, teachers, school council/board members, parents and students. Each case study was analyzed to understand how the principal and other leadership contributed to school success.

There were several core dimensions of the principals’ leadership that led to sustained school success. Principals clearly articulated views on education and helped their schools set appropriate directions. They were all concerned with the professional development of teachers to build capacity and teacher leadership. All principals were instructional leaders who influenced teaching and learning and were committed to making a difference. They exhibited other qualities such as resilience and their motivation to sustain their efforts over time. Another important dimension was building community. These principals reached out to their communities. They clearly understood that they could not succeed in isolation.

The notion of sustainability in education remains ambiguous and this paper provides some empirical evidence of how successful school principals maintain school success over an extended period. Importantly, it considers how aspirant and practicing principals can be developed and supported in their efforts to lead and sustain successful schools.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of what the author believes to be his major contributions to the field of Educational Administration.

The approach taken is a personal review and reflection based on research. For purposes of structuring the article three themes have been selected – complexity, development, and being close to and providing an empirical base for policy and practice. In addition, three areas are discussed that the author regrets having not taken further – the relationship between a school and its system from the school's perspective, the role of quality evidence, particularly the provision of valid and reliable surveys for use by practitioners, and public attitudes to education, including re‐examining the purposes of schools and their enactment.

The studies reviewed stress the importance of the interrelationship between the individual, organisational and contextual in effective teaching of educational administration, organisational development in schools, leadership for organisational learning and student outcomes, and successful school principalship. These studies promote a “tinkering towards Utopia”. “Tinkering” in the sense of improvement from the inside out rather than from outside schools and from the top down, and being about small scale and developmental rather than wholesale and/or continuous change. “Utopian” in the sense of focusing on complexity and heterogeneity rather than simplicity and homogeneity in both purposes and processes. “Utopia” is about learning for all, especially through facilitating schools as communities of professional learners. However, there continues to be a need for researchers in the field to provide a stronger empirical base for policy and practice, including providing quality, culturally specific evidence.

While clarity is provided on the links between leadership and student outcomes in schools and areas for further research are identified, the article is limited by its heavy reliance on the author's Australian research findings.

The article has value in that the links are clarified between leadership and a breadth of student outcomes. It broadens what counts for good schooling and school leadership and provides clear evidence for improvements in policy and practice.

The CIBER group at University College London are currently evaluating a distance education initiative funded by the Department of Health, providing in‐service training to NHS staff via DiTV and satellite to PC systems. This paper aims to provide the context for the project by outlining a short history of distance education, describing the media used in providing remote education, and to review research literature on achievement, attitude, barriers to learning and learner characteristics.

Literature review, with particular, although not exclusive, emphasis on health.

The literature shows little difference in achievement between distance and traditional learners, although using a variety of media, both to deliver pedagogic material and to facilitate communication, does seem to enhance learning. Similarly, attitudinal studies appear to show that the greater number of channels offered, the more positive students are about their experiences. With regard to barriers to completing courses, the main problems appear to be family or work obligations.

The research work this review seeks to consider is examining “on‐demand” showing of filmed lectures via a DiTV system. The literature on DiTV applications research, however, is dominated by studies of simultaneous viewing by on‐site and remote students, rather than “on‐demand”.

Current research being carried out by the authors should enhance the findings accrued by the literature, by exploring the impact of “on‐demand” video material, delivered by DiTV – something no previous research appears to have examined.

Discusses different electronic systems and their exploitation for distance education, and cross‐references these with several aspects evaluated in the literature: achievement, attitude, barriers to take‐up or success, to provide a holistic picture hitherto missing from the literature.