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A self-improving school system in international context

Author: David H Hargreaves
Subject: School-to-school support
Audience: Headteachers, Stakeholders and partners, Governors
Date of publication: January 2012   |   File format and size: PDF, 382 Kb

This is the third in a series of thinkpieces on a self-improving school system by Professor David H Hargreaves. This report explores the need for school-to-school partnerships to develop a distinctive - theory of the case - to underpin their journey towards maturity.

Hargreaves considers how a - theory of the case - can enable schools to use the maturity model (outlined in Leading a self-improving system) not simply as an audit tool, but in a strategic way, deciding:

  • upon the relative importance of the various strands of the maturity model; and
  • how the strands relate to each other.

Lessons from the international context are used to demonstrate the importance of forging the right culture for partnerships (which is harder than creating structures). He also highlights the importance of decentralisation in supporting schools and leaders as they work towards creating a self-improving system.

View the whole series of reports by Hargreaves about school-to-school support.