Global contexts of accountability have placed unprecedented pressure on school leaders to improve the performance of their schools. Despite recognition that leaders' influence is mediated by school culture, few studies offer systematic examinations of culture-in-action in schools. The concept of culture remains nebulous and is frequently glossed…

There is a growing interest in pre-service teacher education programs on how to maximise the learning benefits of professional experience. This study attempts to discover how action research can be used as a vehicle to bridge the divide between theory and practice and to support pre-service teachers in the development of authentic professional…

This paper presents interview data from research conducted in two public high schools in the state of Queensland, Australia. The research was concerned with exploring issues of equity and diversity. Both schools had recently converted to "independent" status within a new state policy reform--the Independent Public Schools initiative.…

Examines Western Australian high-school teachers' receptivity to a systemwide educational change, the use of (mandated) student-outcome statements. Teachers' receptivity is related to their beliefs about the change and to their attitudes and beliefs about its nonmonetary cost benefits, significant- other support, and comparison with the previous…

This paper presents a procedure for making high school teachers' assessments comparable across schools for graduation and college admission purposes. Findings are presented of an evaluation of the procedure conducted in Victoria (Australia) between 1981 and 1984. This procedure, called "consensus moderation," compares teachers'…