Introduction

Over the last 20 years, the school improvement research base has gained prominence and recognition on the international stage. In both a theoretical and empirical sense it has matured through generating a wide range of successful projects, interventions and innovations across many countries in Europe, North America, South Africa and Asia. This chapter examines the recent history of the school improvement field. It highlights some of the lessons learned from early school improvement initiatives and the policy attributes seen as necessary for sustained school improvement. The chapter describes the current state of the field and the struggle to balance site autonomy and initiative with systemic n ‘top- down’ approaches, especially at the local educational authority or school district level. It also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.