Avoiding aggravation : Middle school innovations and their impact on a school's leadership structure

Early in 2008, the leadership structure at a college ('Boulder College') in regional Victoria was evaluated to guide decision-making about its future leadership structure. In a relatively short timeframe, data were gathered using a combination of focus group discussions with staff members: a web-based survey which included salient comments from these discussions and a drop-box and email contact for additional suggestions from staff members. This paper explores the implications for the school's leadership structure of introducing innovative approaches into the middle years of schooling at the college. A major tension highlighted in the evaluation was how specific curriculum domains might survive alongside the move towards integrated approaches in Years 7 and 8. One of the recommendations made was that the existence and functioning of domains (and the related areas of domain- specific knowledge and leadership) in the current educational environment be resolved and their leadership considered before composing any other teams