"More than ever, schools are regarded as a learning community in which its leaders, and therefore the school's primary agents of change, are expected to stay abreast of the latest developments in education and instruction. This book provides important insights for improving professional development activities, school-university partnerships and networks, educational management, as well as teaching and learning in schools and colleges. It builds on research conducted in the 1990s, during which the pursuit of school improvement and skill development first converged."--book jacket.