This study explored the nature and effects of leadership for learning in the context of Hong Kong primary schools. Employing a mediated model of leadership for learning, the study examined how school leadership practices are perceived and shaped in the high accountability context of Hong Kong school education. Consistent with other recent empirical studies of school leadership effects, the research explored the relationship between school leadership, school-level capacity for improvement and student learning outcomes. Regression analyses found a negative impact of principal leadership practices related to strategic direction and policy environments, but a positive impact of staff management and resource management practices in terms of enhancing support for students. Contrary to expectations, schools’ capacity in supporting students had less impact on student academic outcomes than the negative impact of resources capacity and workload of teachers. Instead, mixed impact was found between principal leadership and student academic outcomes; it was negative regarding practices in strategic direction and policy environment, but positive in leader and teacher growth and development. The study refines our understanding of how the socio-cultural and organisational contexts of schools shape successful school leadership.
[Copyright © 2015 Philip Hallinger and James Ko.]

Teachers have had to face a number of difficulties when school-based assessment (SBA) was introduced for most subjects of the New Secondary School curriculum in Hong Kong from 2009. This paper draws on data from a project that supports the implementation of rubrics in inquiry learning for the subject of Liberal Studies. It aims at studying the way the use of rubrics enables teachers to address the challenges of SBA and at identifying useful strategies to address these challenges. The project invited ten secondary schools in which thirty-six teachers and more than 400 students were involved. Data were collected from teachers, students and classroom observations. The paper formulates four strategies by which rubrics are used to enhance the implementation of SBA, namely increasing the validity of assessment, diagnosing students’ learning needs, providing a supportive and non-competitive assessment environment, and enabling students to develop a personal learning path.
[Copyright © 2010 James Nicholas Publishers.]

Education reform is increasingly based on emulating the features of world-class' systems that top international attainment surveys and, in England specifically, East Asia is referenced as the inspiration' for their education reforms. However, the extent to which the features identified by the UK Government accord with the situation within East Asia is problematic. This paper examines the relationship between the English representation and the reality' of East Asian education systems, using school autonomy as an illustrative example. We focus on Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, which are cited extensively to legitimate policies providing greater autonomy for schools in England. We argue firstly that the English representation has been largely discursive and inaccurate; has failed to recognise the variations across the region; and has been selected to endorse the Government's ideological preferences. Secondly, the scope, form and nature of school autonomy vary markedly, and are operationalised in each society in ways reflecting the prevailing sociopolitical priorities.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to trace the development of school autonomy and accountability and related multiple changes and impacts in key areas of school education in Hong Kong since implementing school-based management (SBM) from 1990s. Design/methodology/approach To explore the evolution and the uniqueness of autonomy and accountability in the Hong Kong school system, the paper begins with an historical account, followed by an evaluation of the effects of SBM as shown in policy documents, local research, international reviews and illustrative findings from a case study. The local and international implications of SBM for research and practice are then discussed. Findings This paper shows the links between school autonomy and accountability by exploring the potential effects of both of these factors on educational management and student achievement, which are increasingly emphasised in educational policies. The investigation shows that the assumed links and effects are not always consistent or empirically supported. The positive effects that school autonomy has on school governance and management, teachers' work, school-based curriculums and student learning are all significant when there is also strong leadership, comprehensive continuous professional development and a positive, collaborative school climate. These key elements work alongside school autonomy to facilitate positive change. Research limitations/implications School autonomy and accountability should be viewed as necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for school improvement and development. Further characterisation of the processes happening in schools is needed to explore the different realisations of school autonomy and accountability. Originality/value This investigation of school autonomy and accountability in Hong Kong provides the international audience with a deeper understanding of the dynamics involved in the development of SBM.

Education Bureaus in various regions have developed professional development programs to provide aspiring school leaders with the support they need to be successful. In Hong Kong, newly appointed principals and aspiring principals are required to have a good mastery of leadership capacities for the new paradigm of education development in the century. This paper aims to examine 188 senior teachers’ perception on how useful and applicable their learnt leadership skills in their leadership positions in schools. A questionnaire consisting of 24 questions in six core areas of leadership was constructed and mailed to the samples two years after they were awarded the Certificate for Principalship. Findings demonstrated that most of the aspirants found that leadership capacities of ‘strategic direction and policy environment', and ‘quality assurance and accountability' were more useful and applicable to their leadership positions in school than those in the leadership areas of ‘teacher professional growth and development', ‘external communication and connection to the outside world', ‘learning, teaching and curriculum', and ‘staff and resources management’.

近年，香港教育當局落實了校本管理的政策和推行著多項教育的變革，在學校大大增加了中層人員的工作量和他們在領導方面的需求。最近的研究指出，有很多學校的中層人員在領導方面遇著很大的困難，它們主要來自四方面：對自己領導的信心不足、同工的不合作、與校長不合拍、及環境的影響等，以致大大影響中層人員領導方面的信心與效能。其中「與校長不合拍」可能有很多原因，如雙方是否願意充分合作、溝通是否足夠、彼此是否遷就對方的處事方式等等。有研究亦指出，聰明且有幹勁的管理人員，常會忽略調理與上司的關係，最終傷害了自己及危及组織。要成為高效能的中層領導，他不僅需要努力建立團隊的關係，還要與上司有良好的關係及得到他的支持。本文以小學中層人員及校長為研究對象，透過面談，瞭解中層人員與校長之間相處的困難及協作方式，並且作出分析及建議。

The importance of expanding the leadership capacity of schools as a means of supporting education reform has been recognized by school system globally over the past decade. This has Ied to an intensified focus on school-based management, teacher leadership, distributed leadership, and shared leadership as potentially efficacious approaches to achieving this goal. This has been the case as well in Hong Kong where the formal adoption of school based management over a decade ago has Ied to the use of ‘school management teams’ as a vehicle for leading schools. In this study, we examine how levels of cooperation and constructive controversy evidenced within school management teams (SMT) relate to a broader levels of collaboration among teachers. Dyad survey data was collected from SMT members and teachers at 32 primary schools in Hong Kong. Results of multilevel regression analysis indicated that cooperation among members in these SMTs was positively related to levels of teacher collaboration. Moreover, the use of constructive controversy within SMTs mediated the path and contributed additional variance explained to the level of school-wide teacher collaboration. These findings affirm that the leadership dynamics of School Management Teams in Hong Kong primary schools do appear to have a positive influence on potentially important school level conditions. Notably the findings are also consistent with findings from similar studies of senior management teams in private sector organizations in China. If substantiated in further studies, the results suggest that investments in building broader leadership capacity in Hong Kong’s schools are achieving some system-level goals.