Learning together in networks of schools and university
Title:
Learning together in networks of schools and university
Author:
Veugelers, Wiel Zijlstra, Henk
Appeared in:
International journal of leadership in education
Paging:
Volume 1 (1998) nr. 2 pages 169-180
Year:
1998-04
Contents:
The collaboration of schools in networks is increasingly regarded as an important means for modernizing education. Since 1988, the Center for Professional Development in Education at the University of Amsterdam has collaborated with 20 schools to create the Upper Secondary Education School Network. Teachers and school leaders learn from one another, analyse one another's practice, and develop various initiatives. Teacher educators from the university stimulate and structure this interchange, working together with teachers on action research and bringing expertise to the participating schools. Here we outline the methods and development of our network and the experiences of the participants based on extensive evaluation research. We want to show why schools and universities in The Netherlands choose this approach to modernizing their upper secondary schools. Several functions distinguish our network: interpretation of government policies, influencing government policies, learning from others' experiences, tapping into expertise, developing new educational approaches and materials, and creating new initiatives. We then formulate conditions for creating a successful network.