A whole-school approach to change

Previous chapters have explored how schools in the research network engaged with a variety of projects and a range of evidence to develop strategies for promoting equity. Authors throughout the book have highlighted the different ways that multiple forms of evidence have been used to prompt change and inform approaches to equitable school development, along with their associated challenges. As these accounts demonstrate, the process of change in schools is never easy or straightforward. There is also a concern that such initiatives may take the form of temporary projects, carried on separate from normal school business, such that their impact may eventually fade and disappear. With this challenge in mind, this chapter describes the work of school leaders, teachers and students at Stoneleigh State Primary School as they designed strategies to bring about whole-school change by implementing new models of pedagogy and professional development. In so doing, their aim was to bring about improvements that would have a sustainable impact.