Issues and Challenges in School Improvement: International Perspectives PG (10353.1)

Please note these are the 2021 details for this unit
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Issues and Challenges in School Improvement: International Perspectives PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Academic Program Area - Education Post Graduate Level Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
School improvement is the most important aim of many school reforms around the world. High performing schooling systems such as Finland and East Asian countries place sustainable school improvement at the core of their education policies (Sahlberg, 2011). Then, how and what have these countries done for school improvement? What school improvement initiatives (e.g., leadership and teaching practices) have been shown to influence better learning for students? How do we know how good (or effective) our schools are? This unit seeks to answer these questions by addressing a series of key issues and challenges in school improvement internationally. Specifically, the unit focuses on discussing the aims of school improvement in the context of school reforms, effective school leadership, teacher professional community, measuring schooling outcomes in the era of accountability, diverse populations and school improvement, and best practices in school improvement. The unit uses a growing body of research literature from various societal contexts, including Australia, USA, UK, Finland, Hong Kong, and South Korea, to name a few.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Develop understandings of key issues and challenges in school improvement, drawn from selected schooling systems;
2. Gain awareness of the changing contexts in school improvement internationally, and
3. Develop critical perspectives in evaluating contemporary policies and practices relating to school improvement.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Skills development

This unit explores the concepts, policies, practices, and issues of “School Improvement” from international and national perspectives. The unit is delivered across 7 weeks with significant learning engagement both in person (i.e., workshops and seminars) and online (i.e., currated content and discussion boards) and aims to bring together theoretical and research knowledge with understandings of how policy and reform impact school improvement practices across a range of settings. 



Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 26 May 2025 On-campus Dr Will Brehm
2026 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 08 June 2026 On-campus Dr Will Brehm
Not available

Required texts

This unit uses a collection of academic articles, book chapters, and poicy reports. All readings and materials are listed on the unit canvas site and can be accessed via the online library. They are also included in the unit's reading list.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

 

 

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section.Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

Special assessment requirements

Normally an aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit.

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The expected workload of the unit is:

approximately, individual reading (50 hours), learning activities (50 hours), and assessment tasks (50 hours).

Participation requirements

Your participation in both class and online activities will enhance your understanding of the unit content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

Required IT skills

Use of Canvas

Artificial intelligence services must not to be used for assessment or assessment preparation by students unless explicitly allowed in the assessment instructions for an assessment task published with the assessment task and/or in the unit outline. That is, an artificial intelligence services may only be used if:

  • its use is authorised by the unit convener as part of a specified 
    assessment task, and
  • it is used in the way allowed in the assessment instructions and/or unit outline, and
  • its use is appropriately referenced, meaning that students must reference the use of AI in their assessment in the same way as they reference other source material.

In-unit costs

None.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

All assignments should be submitted via Canvas.

This unit involves research-led education. There is an active researcher delivering this unit who is able to engage students in deep and active learning and transmit to students their passion for the research they are carrying out.

The unit is based on the theoretical idea that education policy and reform are socially constructed phenomenon and therefore nessecarily shape what is and is not possible with school improvement.