Increased attention has been paid to school superintendents and their role in school reforms. Still, there are few studies on dialogue meetings between actors at different levels in the school hierarchy. The current paper investigates how a superintendent balances between trust and control while supporting school development through dialogue…

A Norwegian study of 81 schools in 42 randomly selected municipalities suggests that the principal can promote school development activities among teaching staff by actively creating an innovative school culture. This role (and central-office support) may be more important in secondary than in elementary schools. (Contains 39 references.) (MLH)