This book provides school governors with a blueprint for working effectively and enthusiastically to bring about positive change in their schools, for the benefit of all those concerned.

About the first edition: "School governors will find this a sound and practical guide to the nature of their responsibilities and the process of managing their workload. It is well researched, based on vast experience, illustrated from the best practice, free from jargon – and always interesting." Joan Sallis. Described by the National Association of Governors and Managers as "definitely a ‘must’ for your bookshelf"; reviewed in the Times Educational Supplement as an "essential guide to help governors". This book is about governing schools – about how a governing board made up largely of ‘ordinary’ people with no professional educational experience, working in partnership with professional leaders, can help to make schools better. It is intended for governors in schools in England and Wales, in other parts of the world where lay people engage in school leadership, and for people who work with governors. Improving School Governance examines: How school governors got to be where they are today How governing boards do their jobs How individual governors can best contribute to their schools Governors’ accountability The nature of governors’ meetings The rights that governors have The relationships between governors and the headteacher The role of governing boards in school inspection Governors’ relationships with parents and the wider community How to evaluate the performance and impact of governing boards What the future might hold for state-funded schools and their governance What national strategic issues will need to be addressed by governing boards in the next five to ten years

This text is about governing schools. It lays out a strategic model of school governance and considers the three key roles of planning, monitoring and evaluating. Practical examples and procedures are provided, for governors to adapt.

School improvement has become a dominant feature of educational reform in many countries. The pressure upon schools to improve performance has resulted in a wide-range of improvement programmes and initiatives which can provide both inspiration and advice to everyone involved in school improvement. This book draws together the most effective school improvement projects from around the world in one comprehensive text, including detailed comparative analysis of a wide variety of initiatives. Drawing on examples from the UK, the USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia this book gives both an international snapshot and a coherent synthesis of initiatives that have given achievable results.

`This is an important book, not least because OfTED may well have changed English schools more substantially than any previous curriculum development or assessment development programme′ - Mentoring & Tutoring This book looks at the relationship between school inspection and school improvement. The authors show how heads have used inspectors′ reports to put in place real school improvement. They deal with the contexts of inspection and comparisons are made with the Australian experience of school self-review. The book focuses on how schools have developed a culture of self-inspection. The authors consider the system of OfSTED inspections and ask how beneficial inspection has been in encouraging schools to develop and improve. They suggest there is need for a change and that there are alternative approaches to school assessment and improvement, which could be more effective. They argue that the school′s own evaluation processes should play a greater part in the arrangements for inspection. Improving Schools and Inspection will be essential reading for headteachers and other professionals engaged in dealing with inspections.

Governing bodies have statutory responsibilities for many important functions within schools. As successive Education Acts have developed governors' roles and responsibilities, educational researchers and policy makers have shown a growing interest in them. In this paper, the authors examine the research literature to focus on the roles of school governing bodies, particularly their contribution to the raising of standards, and in ensuring a school's effectiveness and continuing improvement. The review starts with a brief outline of the legislative framework within which governing bodies operate, and the rationale for their existence. The more significant research studies into governance are considered, and the paper concludes with a discussion of the governing body's role in relation to school effectiveness and school improvement.

This report develops comparative knowledge for reforms in teacher and school management policies for Mexico.