Recent reforms in England include the aim of converting every school into an "independent state funded school," an academy, and giving the strongest schools more responsibility for initial teacher education, offering professional development programs, and supporting the improvement of less successful schools. School leaders are attempting to understand the new emerging landscape, interpreting meanings, and considering how to respond. This article provides an overview of recent developments in policy and practice in England and a synthesis of a program of research that has been tracking development for the past 7 years.