The growing strategic importance of collaboration and networking as a tool of school improvement is hampered by an absence of theoretical and practical texts. This volume aims to plug the gap in the literature with an analysis of specific case studies.

Collaboration and networking have recently come to the fore as major school improvement strategies in a number of countries. A variety of initiatives, from government and other agencies, have encouraged collaboration and led to a lot of practical activity in this area. However, at present there are no texts in education that explore collaboration and networking from both a theoretical and practical perspective.

In this book, we aim to provide a theoretical background to educational collaboration, drawing on research and theory in policy studies, psychology and sociology, leading ultimately to a typology of networks. This theoretical base will be tested in the discussion of a number of case studies referring to specific initiatives such as the Federations programme, multi-agency collaboration and Networked Learning Communities. Lessons for practice will be drawn and presented in terms of factors internal and external to the school. The key issue of network leadership will be addressed here as well.

Aims to cover all forms of collaboration on networking Provides a theoretical base for networking and collaboration in education An original contribution to the field by interrogating practical examples of networking

Autorentext

Tim Surma is the head of the Center of Expertise Education and Learning at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium. With twenty years of teaching experience in compulsory education, he shifted to research focusing on evidence-informed teaching and learning strategies. He has published several articles and books on evidence-informed education and is renowned public speaker and advisor on the subject. Claudio Vanhees is a senior researcher at the Center of Expertise Education and Learning, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium. He holds two Master's in Language Studies, has ten years of teaching experience in compulsory and higher education, and obtained a PhD in Educational Sciences. His research focuses on language teaching, reading instruction, and curriculum development. Michiel Wils is a researcher and teacher trainer at the Center of Expertise in Education and Learning at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium. With nine years of experience as a language teacher in secondary education and a background as an educational advisor, his research currently focuses on curriculum theory and development. He is actively involved in multiple projects aimed at advancing curriculum theory and development and is frequently consulted for his expertise in constructing knowledge-rich curricula. Jasper Nijlunsing is a researcher at the Center of Expertise in Education and Learning at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium. He holds a Master's in Sociology and a second Master's in Educational Sciences. His research focuses on curriculum theory and development, both in compulsory education and teacher education. Currently, Jasper is working on several curriculum projects, including partnerships with kindergartens to develop knowledge-rich curricula. Nuno Crato is a Research Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, Cemapre, ISEG at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. He was Portuguese Minister of Education from 2011 to 2015. During his tenure, Portuguese students achieved the best results ever on PISA and TIMSS. An active researcher, science writer, and educational essayist, he has received various honours, namely from the European Mathematical Society and the European Commission. He has published extensively on econometrics and statistics and worked on education policy analysis. Several of his books are translated and published in various countries, including the U.S., U.K., Italy, and Brazil, namely his Figuring It Out, his co-organized Data-Driven Policy Impact Evaluation, and his edited Improving a Country's Education: PISA 2018 Results in 10 Countries. John Hattie is Emeritus Laureate Professor at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is the world-renowned researcher and best-selling author of Visible Learning, Visible Learning for Teachers, Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn, Visible Learning into Action, 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning, Visible Learning Feedback and the Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning and co-editor of the International Guide to Student Achievement. Daniel Muijs is a head of the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University in Belfast, UK. He is an expert in educational effectiveness, with a particular focus on teacher effectiveness, and has published widely in this area. He also has a strong interest in quantitative methods and has published several textbooks on this subject. Daniel is co-editor of the journal School Effectiveness and School Improvement. Elizabeth Rata is a sociologist of education and curriculum expert at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where she is Director of the Knowledge in Education Research Unit (KERU). Her recent research is in curriculum design, particularly with the development of the Curriculum Design Coherence Model (CDC Model) and also in her contribution to the Ne

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Networking in schools.- PART 1: THEORIES AND BACKGROUNDS: 2. Networking and collaboration as a public policy framework.- 3. Localised theories of networking and collaboration.- 4. Societal theories of networking and collaboration.- 5. Towards a typology of educational networks.- PART 2: NETWORKING IN PRACTISE: 6. Federations of schools: Case studies of practise.- 7. The impact of federations on student achievement.- 8. Achieving excellence and equity: reflections on the development of practices in one local district over ten years.- 9. Widening opportunities? A case study of school-to-school collaboration in a rural district.- 10. Leadership in full-service extended schools: Communicating across cultures.- PART 3: SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION: 11. Reflections on networking and collaboration.- 12. Successful networking: in-school conditions.- 12. Successful networking: external conditions.- 14. Leading networks.- 15. Some final thoughts.- References.- Index.