ABSTRACT
Educational reforms over the last two decades have increasingly and persistently focused on bringing about transformations in teachers’ pedagogical practices. The turn of the 21st century brings along new demands on student-learning outcomes so as to meet the demands of new economies such as the knowledge-based economy. The new demands on student-learning outcomes are diverse, and include competencies such as thinking critically, being creative, solving real-world problems, dealing with complexities, being culturally sensitive in increasingly multiculturally diverse societies, working in teams, and being technologically savvy – to name a few. The need to give greater school autonomy is understandable as education policymakers became increasingly aware that the success of strong centralism within education system in the past may no longer support the innovations needed in classroom teaching. The growing importance of distributed leadership is understandable. Education contexts are increasingly getting more complex.
