This research considers strategies used by school leaders to engage, involve, and support families and local communities to assist their children to become more able readers. Data were collected from five case study schools in Tasmania where participants had attended the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) program. The data shows that principals…

This article draws on work with communities in the rural and remote towns of Brewarrina, Wilcannia and Enngonia, New South Wales (NSW) to explore the relationship between low adult literacy levels and the continuing alienation of Aboriginal communities from educational decision making. Building on the analysis of community-school relations…

The school principal is responsible for transmitting mission, vision, and values in and out the school, with a stronger, clearer emphasis for the success and well-being of students. Competency standard is defined as a guide that names the behaviours expected for the directions to do an effective job in their schools. This article presents the…

This document contains case studies of school-based decision sharing in New South Wales, Australia. Each study examines issues such as goals of the program, implementation, problems, and success factors. Examples of topics discussed in the case studies include parent and community involvement, the school advisory council, and staff involvement in…

This publication contains case studies of the educational decision-making process in New South Wales and other Australian states. According to the publication, some form of school council or board is the most common decision-making structure used in the schools. A selection of the structures currently being used that involve community…

If schools are to be professionally responsive to and accountable to their clients, each school must have some control over decisions affecting its particular student body. These include decisions in the areas of policy, curriculum, staffing, facilities, resources (and related finances), evaluation processes, and participation in system-level…

Thirteen papers and a speech address the theme of who makes education policy in Australia. Kwong Lee Dow's address assesses national planning in uncertain times and urges flexibility. John Steinle outlines the operation of Australian policy-making and recommends developing think tanks. Edward Holdaway analyzes the complex relationship between…

This study documents the innovative utilization of resources in 16 exemplary schools and provides recommendations for staff deployment and school organization. Two introductory chapters place the report in the context of a wider study of which it is part and describe its conceptual framework. The following two chapters review the debate on case…

Financial, educational, and political accountability issues involved in the Disadvantaged Schools Program, initiated by the Schools Commission to improve the learning outcomes of children from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in Australia, are the focus of this paper. Consideration is given to the views of the Commission in its published…