Leading School-Based Networks and Collaborative Learning: Working Together for Better Outcomes?

Abstract

School-to-school networks have become integral features of many education systems. Some networks have emerged organically as practitioners have sought to share and improve practice while others have been systematically planned and supported by policy makers in an attempt to raise the overall effectiveness of entire systems. However, despite their rising popularity the literature pertaining to their leadership remains limited. This chapter is based on the view that many school-to-school networks share common features and face similar issues, and therefore their leadership is presented with comparable sets of tasks and challenges. The chapter discusses these key leadership activities and concludes by setting out a framework for network leadership.