ABSTRACT
It is classroom practice that has the most direct impact on student learning. If the enhancement of student achievement and learning is to be taken seriously however, then work on the internal conditions of the school has to complement the focus on teaching and learning. Authentic school improvement is best achieved when a clear and practical focus for development is linked to simultaneous work on the internal conditions within the school. Conditions are the internal features of the school, the ‘arrangements’ that enable it to get work done. Without an equal focus on conditions, even initiatives that directly address classroom practice quickly become marginalised.
