Over the past 20 years the author has been part of many research projects in the areas of student achievement, quality teaching, educational leadership, educational change, teachers' work and lives, teachers' professional learning, professional teaching standards, teacher recognition and teacher career structures'. In 'How to Get Your School Moving and Improving: An evidence-based approach' he draws upon many of the findings from that work and the work of others to bring together what is known about student achievement, quality teaching, educational leadership and educational change. The primary aim of good research into school leadership and improvement is to assist school leaders to understand what they are doing, and what they can do, in order to make things happen in their school. To do that, the central focus needs to be on students and student achievement, using evidence to cut through the clouds of fashion, fad, jargon and ideology that frequently surround education in order to show what research has revealed about what really works and adds value in schools. The leaders of schools that are moving and improving possess common attributes and adopt similar approaches. The author provides a framework for others to use to reflect on within their own contexts so they can work towards developing the kinds of attributes and adopting the kinds of practices that characterise successful school leaders. [Author abstract, ed]

Steve Dinham looks at the most important school-based factor influencing a student’s learning: high-quality teachers like you.

If we over-inflate our students’ self-esteem, we run the risk that the air will quickly come out of the balloon when they hit the wide world.

Research indicates that direct instruction has a large effect on student learning, so it is time that all educators understood exactly what it is and is not. The author looks at certain types of teaching practices and the effects these have on students' achievement. Many teachers and teacher educators hold the view that facilitatory teaching - which includes so-called discovery learning, student-centred learning, problem-based learning and constructivist teaching methods - is superior and preferable to direct instruction, which has connotations of traditional teacher-centred learning. The author refutes this view. His and others' work in the area of effective teaching has clearly demonstrated that the best teachers create and manage a learning environment that is both student-centred and teacher-directed. A key aspect of direct instruction is feedback, which shows students what they can and cannot do. For the teacher its main function is to inform her or him of the individual progress of each student and to inform a judgment for the teacher of his or her effectiveness to identify what needs to be done to improve student achievement. We now live in an age of evidence and teachers need to ask some hard question about what they do, why they do it, how they do it and what effects it has on student learning and development. [Author abstract, ed]

Look at learning or mastery in the fields as diverse as sports, the arts, languages, the sciences or recreational activities and the research evidence is clear: great teachers give great feedback. Quality teaching and student performance are key matters of concern to educators everywhere. We know from a vast range of studies that the teacher is the major in-school influence on student achievement. How we improve teacher effectiveness and lift student achievement can, however, seem daunting. In this article the author focuses on teacher-student feedback and suggests that schools begin the professional conversation with eight questions: (1) what are the present approaches? (2) Are the methods and criteria clear? (3) Do the students understand what is meant by feedback? (4) Is the feedback to students effective? (5) Is the feedback focused, comprehensive and improvement-oriented? (6) How does feedback to students relate to parental feedback? (7) How can teachers provide students with improved feedback? (8) How will the school know if it works? What evidence is needed? The answers to these questions will provide an important foundation for improving the quality of teaching and student achievement. Feedback is, however, only one part of the equation: it is not a substitute or remedy for poor teaching. [Author abstract, ed]