Data collected for accountability purposes often involve nested or hierarchical data structure. For instance, in the development of a value-added indicator system, achievement data are collected at the student-level but inferences are to be made at the school and system levels. Here, students are nested within classes, classes are nested within schools, and schools within regions. Since the late 1980s multilevel modelling has been used as a standard approach to handle such nested data structure. Research has shown that failure to apply multilevel models to nested data structure leads to wrong statistical inferences. Furthermore, much valuable information may be lost if the nested data structure is not modelled explicitly. In the last twenty years, the application of multilevel modelling has been extended to areas other than the handling of nested data structure. Multilevel modelling can now be applied for effective analysis of complicated data structures, including longitudinal data (e.g. growth trajectory), multivariate data (e.g. achievement in the four skills in the learning of English), discrete outcome data (e.g. students’ choice of entry to universities versus work), multiple membership data (e.g. the modelling of students’ mobility across schools in the estimation of the value added by schools to academic achievement), and cross-classified data structure (e.g. secondary schools taking students from a number of ‘feeder’ primary schools). The presentation will provide a non-technical introduction to multilevel modelling. Examples will be drawn from the value-added indicator system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and research on self-directed learning using the latest version of the MlwiN software package (Goldstein, 2003). Strengths and weaknesses of multilevel modelling will be discussed in the analyses of these real data.

This paper describes the experience of a teacher educator in fostering teacher development in a reading project in Hong Kong. The teacher educator is interested in finding out the perceptions of teachers in the project and the factors affecting their perceptions and thus participation in the project. Teachers were interviewed and their lessons observed. A study of documents gave background information of the school. The interactions with the teachers in school functions, lesson observation, discussions and workshops recorded in the researcher’s diary had led to holistic interpretation of the teachers’ participation in the project. It is argued that the teacher’s sense of identity, value and moral purposed play an important but often neglected role in their involvement in an innovation.
[Copyright © 2004 International Society for Teacher Education.]

This paper presents the findings of 47 Hong Kong secondary schools in a study examining leadership practices, school conditions and student perceptions within an environment of increasing accountability. While an accountability framework might be intended to promote effective school improvement, the approaches adopted by the policy makers often carried different unwarranted assumptions and resulted in conflicting and unintended consequences. The impacts of Hong Kong’s school accountability framework introduced since 2003 were evaluated in three aspects: whether more schools in the study have shown improvements in value-added performance between 2006 and 2008; whether these schools with most significant improvement and most significant declines as measured by the value-added changes differed much; and whether these schools became more accountable in their practices and showed more support for students.

Over the years numerous studies have been conducted in an attempt to determine the effect of homework on students’ learning (Thomas, 1992). In practice, there are much problems and misconceptions with the implementation of homework. In Hong Kong, this issue worsens existing educational problems (Education Department, & Home School Cooperation Committee, 1994). With the launching of curriculum reform in 2001, the education bureau in Hong Kong recommends that there be a change in homework policy and practices(Curriculum Development Committee, 2001). Schools should put more emphasis on "meaningful homework" as an integral part of the school curriculum. In the past, curriculum changes in Hong Kong often encounter unsuccessful experiences because of poor policy dissemination and implementation and mismatching teachers’ conceptions, etc (Yeung, 2004). Studies alike demonstrate that any educational change needs an authentic "paradigm shift" in perspectives, philosophy and pedagogy (Kuhn, 1970). The paper intends to look into the underpinning theory and thereafter the underlying agenda embedded with this homework policy. The researcher has adopted research method including documentary analysis and simple survey. The researcher conducts and compares content analysis of two kinds of documents -- Official homework guideline as well as various samples of school homework. A simple survey of teachers’ conception about the new homework policy has been used as kinds of triangulation. The researcher wishes that findings from the study may have empirical and practical significance to future development of homework practices and policy in schools.