Introduction

There is no shortage of literature on change in education. Recent decades have seen major shifts in our understanding of knowledge and learning which have led to a new focus in curriculum development and teaching strategies (see Brooks and Brooks, 1993). The globalization of world economies and the changing nature of work itself make demands on the type of education that young people receive in preparation for the world of work (see, for example, Handy, 1991, 1994; Naisbitt, 1982; Toffler, 1970, 1981). The changing social fabric of society, evidenced by higher family break-up and single-parent families, has forced schools to take on new roles of giving personal support and building community for students. Pressure on government finances has brought fresh demands for accountability and new definitions of effectiveness for schools (Murgatroyd and Morgan, 1992, Chapter 1). These trends all work to change the expectations of what education should be and how schools should be organized.