Teacher leadership ties in the heart of school improvement while principal plays a salient role in fostering teachers’ leadership. This study aims to examine a group of beginning teachers in Hong Kong to address research questions: (1) To what extent are the teachers’ developments of teacher leadership? (2) What are the teachers’ perceptions of principal-teacher interactions? (3) How principal-teacher interactions attribute to the teacher leadership development? Multiple data sources, including interviews, documentary evidence and questionnaires were collected. Results show that principal-teacher interactions that reflected trust, value communication and encourage professional development are key to facilitating teacher leadership. Three types of impact illustrating principal-teacher interactions attribute to teacher leadership development are identified. Implication for school leaders and teacher educators are discussed.

Several education hubs have emerged in Asia and the Middle East in recent years with a specific focus on cross-border higher education. Through considerable efforts in policy planning and generous funding, these hubs aim to transform a country or city into an eminent destination for education, research, and training. The inherent design of these hubs raises many questions about higher education's contribution to international relations as large numbers of local and foreign actors congregate. Specifically, some education hubs are leveraging cultural heritage and colonial legacy as an instrument of soft power by emphasising shared cultural identities and values. By engaging in cultural diplomacy, education hubs seek to exert influence on the international stage. However, assumptions about shared identities and values as well as the prevailing political climate of the local society present serious challenges for policy implementation. Alternatively, an education hub can also engage with international actors based on an enduring faith in the venture of science to propel the knowledge economy - another kind of norm that underpins soft power. This paper compares Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong as education hubs that engage in soft power and cultural diplomacy.
[Copyright of Comparative Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2015.1037551]

Teacher attitudes and practices have been considered as essential in bringing about parent involvement in school education. In Hong Kong, among various home-school links, teacher-parent communication about children's learning has been agreed as the primary concern of both schools and parents. This study looks at the intentions and practices of the communication of primary school teachers with parents. It attempts to identify variables which can predict the effectiveness of such communication. A model which has taken into account the theory of planned behaviour, self-efficacy theory, expectancy theory and role theory has been proposed. Scales for measuring the variables and constructs involved have been developed. Path analyses linking the variables in a conceptual model have been conducted. Results show that a number of variables, such as "the teacher's commitment towards teaching", "personal teaching efficacy", "teacher efficacy in working parents" and "teacher's sense of shared responsibility with parents" have predictive power for teacher's intention and practices. The significance of these findings for enhancing teacher-parent communication is discussed.

This paper is based on research conducted with principals in Hong Kong which is a replication of a study conducted Virginia, United States of America (USA). The paper outlines the implementation of Quality Leadership strategies used by both sets of principals to restructure their schools in a changing society. Principals report their leadership role can no longer follow the traditional autocratic model. Both sets of principals are changing the strategies they use to manage their schools. Research on the implementation of Quality in education made the following observation even stronger evidence of Quality implementation existing at the school level. It is apparent that principle have attempted to change the way they relate to their staffs and manage their buildings. These principals have shared decision-making responsibilities with faculty and support staff through various means. Continued study is warranted to assess benefits to students as well as the role the principal plays in successful implementation. (Bryant, 1995) This case study research was conducted using qualitative methodology to study and compare the differences in the principal's leadership role in the United States and in Hong Kong in the implementation of the components of Quality as defined by the Virginia Department of Education, based on the XEROX Leadership Through Quality model. This case study research is based on extensive research conducted on principals in Virginia and reported by Bryant (1995). Data for Hong Kong was gathered through the use of the in-depth interview developed by Quality and methodological experts. The interviews were conducted on site. The findings include an analysis of the differences in the leadership roles between principals who participated in publicly funded TQM project in Virginia (CTQP) and in a similar School Management Initiative (SMI) Project funded by the Department of Education in Hong Kong. Initial findings indicate that the leadership of the principals in

Driven by the forces requiring rapid innovation in competitive world markets, today's knowledge economy is enabled by ICT's capacity to search, filter, store, transmit, encapsulate, process, and manipulate information. Workers of a knowledge economy are expected to possess ICT literacy: the ability to use technology to develop 21st century content knowledge and skills. This new kind of literacy is considered a key '21st century skill', together with global awareness, civic engagement, financial, economic and business literacy, and learning skills that encompass problem solving, critical thinking, and self-directional skills (Partnership for 21st century Skills, 2005, p.15). 21st century schools are seen to play a critical role in producing a workforce that is highly educated and skilled to support a country's economy. This recognition of education as a key contributor to the economy has led school curricula in many countries to mandate ICT as a central component, with teachers being increasingly expected to infuse ICT into the teaching and learning processes. This paper examines some of the major developments and strategies related to ICT in the education reform of three countries where the author has worked professionally. Lessons will be drawn from their experiences in enhancing music education curriculum reform for a technology-infused future.