ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the notion of second generation in the context of school-improvement, stating why people believe it to be a significant problem deserving serious attention among those involved in school improvement. The inherent difference between first generation and second generation concerns is that the first are concerned with initiating the process, the learning, the commitment, the support and so on, while the second are concerned with sustaining the process by whatever effective means can be employed. Typical school improvement thrusts are characterized in their early lifecycle, by a period of high motivation, optimism and a feeling of accomplishment. The establishment of a process for monitoring a school improvement thrust is a first generation concern, yet three factors combine to make it a common second generation issue: its actual use as an appendage, rather than a planned, central activity; poorly defined roles, responsibilities and actions relating to monitoring; and unplanned provision for using the results of evaluations.
