Exploring the School Improvement Process in an Effective Australian School: A Case Study

Australia is increasingly concerned with the level of academic achievement of its students which has led to a heightened focus on sustaining school effectiveness. The drive to discover better ways to sustain a school’s effectiveness is mostly deeply rooted in effective school improvement planning. In response, Australian schools are mandated to develop a school improvement plan outlining their future targets. To understand how an effective school plans for school improvement within its own context., this PhD dissertation addressed the overarching research question: How does an effective school undergo the school improvement process?

This dissertation presents a qualitative case study that investigates and documents the school improvement process in action in an effective school in Australia. School X, an effective and high performing school was chosen as the research case. The selection was based on multiple indicators, including strong performance on audit report of school effectiveness elements, and consistent high scores on matriculation and national examination. Data was collected through semi structured in-depth interviews, observations of senior executive leader meetings and professional development sessions, analysis of various school documents, examination of school website, tours, field notes and a researcher’s reflective journal entries. These diverse data sources were triangulated to provide comprehensive insights into the school improvement process.

The study was able to describe the pivotal role of the senior executive leadership team in driving the school improvement process by integrating different leadership styles and approaches. This study also highlights the importance of understanding the role of the context of a school in determining a number of facets of school improvement planning, including leadership processes, how stakeholders are involved, which data is attended to, and the nature of the school culture. This PhD study contributes to the existing knowledge on school improvement planning and provides important insights and implications for educators, policymakers, and researchers seeking to promote school improvement and drive positive change in education.