This paper focuses on a controversial issue in the field of education in Hong Kong, namely, the effect of the initiatives of School Self-evaluation (SSE) and External School Review (ESR) on school improvement (SI), under the current school-based management reform, It made use of questionnaires and case study in an attempt to give a preliminary account on whether such initiatives contribute to school improvement arid in what ways it did. There is a presumption that the effectiveness of SSE/ESR in facilitating school improvement actually pertains to how far the inspected schools can develop or sustain a learning culture among school personnel. Findings indicate that teachers in the school have a positive attitude towards SSEIESR, and SSE/ESR fosters organizational learning which ultimately contributes to school improvement and teacher development.

The author has helped to develop IT educational projects in various departments at the tertiary level for the last three years, and is alarmed by the many technological writings on the benefits of IT in education, which arguments look suspiciously simplistic and all pervasive. The author also witnessed the frustrations of teachers who are often disempowered under the impact of the IT education reform. This paper is a result of such concern and dissatisfaction of the seemingly uncritical and narrow approach in theorizing and implementing IT in education. It is hoped that by offering a more in-depth inquiry of the subject, that researchers and education professionals alike can take a holistic approach towards their work in teaching and learning with or without IT

In 1998, a Five Year Strategy outlined new initiatives for information technology in education (ITE) in Hong Kong schools. The 'vision' for ITE involved a 'paradigm shift' in teaching and learning activities, ' from a largely textbook-based teacher-centred approach to a more interactive and learner-centred approach'. However, strategies to bring about these changes were not elaborated. Two years later, when other educational reforms were proposed, it was recognised that current practices in teaching and learning would be resistant to change. Hence, an 'incremental and interactive approach' to change was suggested, in which 'generic skills' including ITE were to be gradually 'infused' into school curriculum over time. The research reported in this paper aimed to investigate whether an 'incremental and interactive approach' could be an effective way to promote greater use of information technology in history teaching in secondary schools. Over a two year period, a small group of teachers made personal decisions about using new technology in their teaching, then met to discuss what happened when they did so. Initially, teachers believed that ITE and PowerPoint presentations were synonymous, and that the role of new technology was to facilitate expository approaches to teaching. However, ideas about ITE gradually changed and teachers became more willing to try 'new' activities involving information technology as ideas about curriculum and pedagogy were examined. It is suggested that professional development activities which provide opportunities for teachers to investigate ITE could be an important initiative in implementing curriculum reforms in schools.