ABSTRACT
If you are a school leader thinking about creating a new network, a researcher setting out to evaluate one, or a student interested in finding out more about their design then the plethora of different forms and types of networks makes each of these tasks seem equally daunting. In a review of different forms of network and learning communities, Kerr et al. (2003) identified nine core attributes of effective networks. Their analysis of the key features of effective school networks creates an important but challenging checklist for those designing, evaluating and monitoring a network of schools:
1 Participation – as we have already discussed networks are defined by the nature of their members’ participation within it. The challenge for those who design networks is to combine and sustain the key forms of participation.
