This paper presents a small-scale Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) study, investigating school leaders' efforts to enhance families' engagement in their children's learning, through classroom teachers' use of social media. The study occurred within three Australian primary schools, situated within a culturally and linguistically…

It is widely accepted that professional learning is a crucial aspect of the ongoing professional practice of educators. But how should this professional learning take place, and what arrangements enable and constrain practices associated with educator learning? In this article, we explore two case studies of action research projects: one…

This paper reports on Australian case study research in schools where principals completed the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) program. The purpose was to gather data about the effects of PALL on principals' leadership and the impact of interventions in Reading on teaching, student learning, and achievement. Data gathering included…

Practices such as formal focused professional dialogue groups, coaching conversations, mentoring conversations and professional learning staff meetings have been taken up in schools and pre-schools as part of long-term action research and development activities to improve the learning and teaching practices. The development of relational trust has…

In Australia, recent policies for educational development have emphasised the importance of stakeholder involvement and advocacy in the promotion of student outcomes. There is robust support for the promotion and development of inclusive educational communities able to respond to the various educational needs of students, communities and staff.…

This paper presents a new model of leadership that can improve the knowledge and skills needed by school leaders who undertake Masters of Business and Masters of Education. The model is called PIVOTAL which stands for Partnerships, Innovation and Vitality--Opportunities for Thriving Academic Leadership. The model is compared and contrasted with…

This action research explored how Year 12 achievement data were used by school personnel to inform practice within seven Catholic secondary schools. Deputy Principals of Curriculum from participating schools were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the improvement of Year 12 student achievement outcomes, and their insights into how to…

Success in primary and secondary school mathematics is becoming increasingly important to today's teachers, students, parents and employment providers in Australia. Mathematics is viewed as high status and essential for a range of employment opportunities. The Disability Standards for Education [1] and the Australian Curriculum, Reporting and…

This paper draws upon empirical research to provide insights into current teacher learning practices under broader neoliberal conditions, and how the latter might be resisted. The paper contrasts neoliberal approaches to teachers' learning with the Nordic tradition of educational action research and "Bildung" as alternative resources to…

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the instructional leader when introducing digital technology into the mathematics teaching in the Australian Curriculum. The research reported here involves the principal and five teachers from one school and is part of a larger study. Results indicated that principal-led "crucial…

In this article we investigate educational leadership as a site of practice, utilising the notion of "practice architectures" as our lens. The latter shifts Etienne Wenger's more individualising notion of 'learning architectures' to a broader study of the systems and organisations that prefigure educational practices and potentially,…

A year-long collaborative action research project used networked technologies to connect researchers at a university-based online professional development program and a group of practitioner researchers based in a range of schools and educational agencies in several countries. They studied the process and effects of online professional development…

This collection of chapters presents research focused on emerging strategies, paradigms, and theories on the sources, experiences, and consequences of stress, coping, and prevention pertaining to students, teachers and administrators. Studies analyze data collected through action research, program evaluation, surveys, qualitative interviewing,…

Australia's Cairns Consortium of Schools includes four state primary schools in Cairns, North Queensland. It supports provision of quality education characterized by improved student outcomes enhanced by improved teacher competencies. It is based on espoused values of mutual trust and respect. Principals use collaborative decision making processes…

Since the mid-1990s, government policies in the USA, Canada, England, and Australia have promoted the need to produce an ICT skilled workforce in order to ensure national competitiveness in globalised economic conditions. In this article, we examine the ways in which these policy intentions in 1 state in Australia were translated into a…