Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to outline how collective capacity building is supporting system-wide reform in one country. It seeks to outline the way in which professional learning communities within, between and across schools are creating an infrastructure for improving professional practice and raising standards.…

Only in the last few years have researchers in the United Kingdom focused their attention upon improving "failing" or "ineffective" schools. While there is much contemporary interest in schools in difficulty, few research studies have focused exclusively upon leadership practices and approaches. This study's prime aim was to…

Outlines findings from study funded by the National College for School Leadership that explored effective leadership in a group of secondary schools in challenging circumstances. Highlights the key characteristics and features of leadership approaches adopted, and argues that the heads in the study operated a shared or distributed model of…