Transforming Schools: Illusion or Reality Book

This intriguing book challenges the usual idea of how a weak or failing school can be turned into a successful one by the simple introduction of effective leadership and management. Bernard Barker describes the journey of a struggling British Midlands comprehensive through special measures.As a participant researcher in the process, the author relates how government inspectors impose a conventional regime, based on improved leadership, to drag the institution from the mire. But he shows that schools, heads, teachers, and pupils are infinitely diverse and have an infinite range of motivations, priorities, and personalities. Based on his experience, he argues that imposing strict government-inspired improvement models cannot solve all the problems of an institution that is defined not only by its leaders and teachers but also by the complexities of its organizational context and social geography. Challenging conventional wisdom, the book argues that although a school can quickly be made to show the 11 key effectiveness characteristics, this does not always lead to an improvement in the prescribed indicator for success--exam results. The book develops an alternative conception of how leaders improve their schools.This in-depth and analytical yet thoroughly human account of a school’s struggle away from the stigma of special measures is a must-read for all involved in education, from policymakers and officials to local authorities, researchers, leader-watchers, heads, teachers, governors, and parents.Read More