Leading School Improvement, Innovation and Professional Learning Through Action Research: A Policy and Practice Review

Abstract

Leading a professional learning community and creating a culture of continuous improvement that impacts positively on student learning in schools is a profound challenge. Two major elements of the continuous improvement theme amongst education policy makers are the emphasis on strengthening school leadership together with developing a highly skilled and innovative teaching workforce. A search of Australian education system databases over the past five years has produced an array of strategic policy documents which postulate a direct link between continuous improvement and professional learning including the innovative practices of school leaders and teachers. In this article we (a) survey the literature which examines the nature of policy and practice linkages between leadership, school improvement and innovation, professional learning and action research; (b) identify the influence of neo-liberal ideology on school improvement and leadership; and (c) explore contemporary ideas about innovation in professional learning with a focus on action research. We suggest five key propositions from the literature which are used by education policy makers to support the current imperatives associated with leadership, school improvement, professional learning and action research, and argue that these propositions are central to the policy directions of education authorities and national agencies such as the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Finally, we offer our perspective on the debate about the efficacy of professional learning by practitioners through the practice of action research.