This article presents a longitudinal, qualitative case study of a student leadership program in a Catholic secondary school in Perth, Western Australia. Data were collected over a period of three years through multiple methods, including one-on-one interviewing, focus group interviewing, document searches, field notes, and researcher reflective…

This research investigated the female adolescent view of leadership by giving voice to student leaders through focus group discussions. The questions: What is leadership? Where/how was leadership taught?, and How was leadership practised? were explored within the context of girls' schools located in Australia, with one school located in South…

This paper outlines a study of an alternate approach to educating Year 9 students in a residential setting. The School for Student Leadership (SSL) in Victoria, Australia, provides a nine-week program focusing on leadership, relationship-building and self-awareness. The philosophy of the school, which has continually evolved since its inception in…

In this article, I explore the concepts of mentoring and role modeling with regard to developing student leaders within the girls' school context. The foundation for this discussion lies in two qualitative studies involving staff and students from girls' schools located in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Both survey and focus groups were…

The Australian Government report Teachers for the 21st Century: Making the Difference (DEST, 2000) highlighted that teachers were central to student learning, and that there was a need for professional development for teachers in order for them to adapt to changing student needs. These ideas are not new and have been have been supported by other…