A fresh look at school improvement from the perspective of professional development. There are many things that teachers can do to improve the conditions for learning and teaching in their own schools. This book shows how staff can take the initiative and identify areas in their school in need of attention, and tackle them. It provides case-study accounts of schemes in a number of schools, together with accounts of the action research based development work undertaken by teachers to improve their schools. The studies illuminate issues such as: improving the quality of learning and teaching; developing an effective school council; building partnerships and community schemes; developing economic and industrial understanding.