In recent decades the Asia-Pacific region has made s ome of the most spectacular efforts and gains in social, economic, and educational development (Hallak, 2000). However, this vast and greatly diverse region still faces significant challenges in achieving educational equity and quality.

School leadership development is imperative to initiating and sustaining change as schools at all levels coping with new reform policy in the region. The belief that there are general and common elements in contemporary international educational policy (Ball, 1998; Carnoy, 2006) has brought growing interest in sharing leadership theories and successful models of effective schools cross-culturally. Such interests have been particularly strong from countries in the Asia-Pacific that are at the beginning stage of establishing a knowledgebase both theoretically and empirically (Chu, 2003; Hallinger, Walker, & Bajunid, 2005). The interest is no longer one-way, however. Growing global competitiveness of countries in Asia have also prompted reciprocal interest of “East” and “West” in each other’s school systems (Dimmock & Walker, 2000). With concerns in recent decades over education quality in the United States and other developed countries, international benchmarking has impelled curiosity and exploration into teaching and learning models that may be perceived to feature effective pedagogy and curriculum structure, especially in East Asia (National Governors Association, 2008).

It is in this context that we bring forth this special issue of school leadership and change in the Asia-Pacific region. The issue aims at highlighting research-based knowledge on the practices of leading change, innovation, and school improvement. Specifically, the articles will (a) e xamine the geographic, cultural, and political terrain of the current knowledgebase in educational leadership and management; (b) assess the relevance of the global knowledge base in the field for the Asia-Pacific Region; (c) consider the current practices of university-based education and research culture in the region; and (d) offer strategies for accelerating the development of the field of educational leadership and management in the region.

Dr. Xiu Chen Cravens
Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor of Education Policy Assistant Dean for International Affairs
Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University. U.S.A.

: xiu.cravens@vanderbilt.edu

Professor Philip Hallinger
Chair Professor of Leadership and Change
Director, Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change
Hong Kong Institute of Education
China

: hallinger@gmail.com

School Leadership and Change in the Asia-Pacific Region:
A New Agenda for Capacity Building

An introduction by the guest editors, this piece calls for building a research-based knowledgebase for school leadership development in the Asia-Pacific region and provides a synopsis of featured articles.

Allan Walker
Chair Professor of International Educational Leadership
Hong Kong Institute of Education
China

Cultural Disconnects in School Leadership and Change

This article e xamines whether models and practices of leader development being used by context ‐ specific organizations and development programs are applicable across cultural contexts.

Hongqi Chu
Dean, College of Educational Administration
Beijing Normal University
CHINA

Xiu Chen Cravens
Research Assistant Professor of Education Policy
Vanderbilt University.
USA

Evaluation, Feedback, and Coaching for Principals in the People’s Republic of China

This article provides an analysis of school and principal evaluation efforts in Mainland China as an integral part of the national education reform initiative, the Quality-Oriented Education.

Ming-dih Lin
Professor of Educational Leadership and Management
Dean of the Faculty of Education
National Chengchi University
Taiwan

Cultivating An Environment that Contributes to
Teaching and Learning in Taiwanese Schools: A New Leadership Development Agenda

This article describes the context, key challenges, and recent actions for school leadership development in Taiwan..

Philip Hallinger
Chair Professor of Leadership and Change
Hong Kong Institute of Education
China

Obstacles to Education Reform and Change in Southeast Asia:
A Preliminary Analysis of Five Countries

This article investigates patterns in the strategies and obstacles to educational reform in five East Asian countries.

David Ng
Associate Professor
National Institute of Education
Singapore

Dr. Jeanne Ho
Associate Professor
National Institute of Education
Singapore

Distributed Leadership for ICT reform in Singapore

Dora Ho
Assistant Professor
Hong Kong Institute of Education
China

Power and Paradox in Early Childhood Education in Hong Kong

This article pays much needed attention to the importance and impact of early childhood education and care services upon subsequent achievement in Hong Kong.

Peter Joong
Lecturer,
University of the West Indies
Jamaica.