ABSTRACT

In a political and economic climate in which school performance is made public, performance tables and inspectors' reports can only tell a partial story.
This is a unique book. It tells the story of one school seen through the eyes of a pupil, a parent, a teacher, a headteacher and a critical friend. The story is a compelling journey through the process of school improvement; theories of school effectiveness and school improvement are progressively clarified.
This book is based on a well-known and well-documented research project that represents eighteen European countries, which clearly sets it in a European Policy context. It includes a wealth of practical tools for raising standards for teachers and school managers to refer to, and guidance on how to use them.
This eagerly awaited follow-up to Schools Must Speak for Themselves by John MacBeath (RoutledgeFalmer 1999) is a vital and useful source of good ideas, challenging insights and practical strategies for real schools.

chapter 1|17 pages

Serena

chapter 2|9 pages

Mrs Kaur

Serena’s mother

chapter 3|14 pages

Tom Ericson

The history teacher

chapter 4|12 pages

Mrs Barre

The headteacher

chapter 5|9 pages

Ursula

The critical friend

chapter 6|11 pages

Coffee with the professor

chapter 7|9 pages

The professor revisited

chapter 8|12 pages

A change of story

chapter 9|9 pages

Self-evaluation

The power of three

chapter 10|12 pages

The SEP

What it is and how to use it

chapter 11|43 pages

Methods of self-evaluation

chapter 12|7 pages

The work of the critical friend

chapter 13|19 pages

The schools

chapter 14|7 pages

What have we learned?