ABSTRACT
The chapter opens with an exploration of the importance of networks as an organizational form that can stimulate innovation and facilitate knowledge transfer, leading on to a brief explanation of networked learning communities. It explores some of the key issues surrounding the use of knowledge-creation through enquiry as an energy source for school improvement and as a means of generating professional knowledge networks. The argument is built upon the premise that, in education as in other fields, networks have a key role to play in supporting innovation and development. Networks are locations in which specialized knowledge can be created and transferred within collaborative team contexts. A networked learning community (NLC) is a cluster of schools working in partnership with others to enhance the quality of pupil learning, professional development and school-to-school learning. Within the NLC programme researchers have defined three levels of learning networks: within-school networks, school-to-school networks, and networks of networks.
