ABSTRACT
When we buy a computer, there is often a label proclaiming that it has ‘Intel inside’.While most of us might not know exactly what this means, the label acts as a seal of approval indicating that what we are buying is good quality and will work. Indeed, it does indicate this: ‘Intel inside’ refers to the processor, or brain, in the computer – and it is the key to the success of the software and other hardware that makes up the ‘workings’ of the computer. In many ways, our schools have emphasized the ‘software’ (the programs in schools) and the ‘hardware’ (buildings, resources), rather than the ‘Intel inside’ (the core attributes that make schools successful).The ‘software’ and ‘hardware’ have been the major marketing tools of schooling used by politicians and principals, and they are also the topics that we most love to debate. Raise the question of class size, grouping in class, salaries and finance, the nature of learning environments and buildings, the curriculum, assessment, and the ensuing debate will be endless and enjoyable. These are not, however, the core attributes of successful schooling.
