Abstract:
This Grounded Theory research investigates continuous improvement in state primary schools. The focus on continuous improvement is about and for the improvement of education across the public school system with the aim to enhance outcomes and reduce inequity. This was clearly called for in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. Leadership for continuous improvement is particularly important in public education to reduce the inequity of outcomes based on socio economic or disadvantage factors and meet young people’s needs for a changing future. Continuous improvement in education is seen as the deliberate, organised, methodical, and ongoing process of small incremental changes, organisation-wide, aimed at improvement. This practice is being implemented more frequently internationally in an attempt to address issues of outcomes for students. It explores the common strategies and outcomes that are evident and the actions and practices of school leaders that build and sustain continuous improvement. This addresses a gap in the literature focused on government-funded primary schools and specific actions of successful school leaders. Data was collected in eleven one-hour, semi-structured interviews that explored the insights of systems experts and high performing school leaders and through analysis of school documents. The major themes identified were use of data, capability building, school culture, explicit improvement agenda, leadership and collaboration. The themes will be defined and described within the presentation and will illustrate the current practices within the state system and the steps taken in these instances to achieve continuous improvement. By describing the actions and strategies evident in continuously improving schools, the research will contribute to the scholarly literature, provide an evidence base to be applied in schools and form part of school leader preparation and ongoing professional learning.