Supporting School Improvement: Observations on the inside, reflections from the outside

The article focuses upon the role of the 'change agent' in schools improvement. Drawing upon the work of the 'Moving Schools' project it attempts to shed some light on the dynamics of schools 'on the move' and how both internal and external change agents contribute to this process. The article commences with an examination of the way in which internal change agents develop and become more skilled at managing change. The role of the external change agent is then considered and an examination is made of how effective support is defined and provided. It is suggested that to be most effective external agents need to work not just in the school but in the classroom. The article concludes that while the school improvement field has begun at least to delineate the key areas for support, the understanding of how support 'works' remains partial.