Do we need a Commonwealth network of colleges of educational leadership?

Contemporary educational reform places a premium on the effective leadership and management of schools. An orderly, efficient and well-managed school environment provides the preconditions for enhanced student learning. Complex and dynamic 'cultural' changes needed for sustained school improvement, are more likely to occur as a result of transformational leadership that focuses on the people involved, their relationships, and requires an approach that seeks to transform feelings, attitudes and beliefs. The challenge and opportunity for a Commonwealth initiative towards the collective development of educational leadership is implicit in the recommendations of the Commission on Commonwealth Studies for the establishment of centres for the study of areas and topics of contemporary concern, and for exchange programmes and study visits for Commonwealth public service personnel.