This volume also identifies and describes barriers and facilitators to the development, use, sustainability and expansion of school peer review. School peer reviews are a form of internal evaluation driven by schools themselves rather than externally imposed, such as with school inspections.

Introduction.- Part I: The emergence and growth of school peer review.- Chapter 1. From external evaluation, to school self-evaluation, to peer review (David Godfrey).- Part II: Supplementing the regional or national accountability system.- Chapter 2. Peer reviews as a complement to system reviews in Queensland (Chris Diamond & Anetta Kowalkiewicz).- Chapter 3. ‘Layering’ peer enquiry as a system change strategy: some lessons from Wales (Mark Hadfield and Mel Ainscow).- Part III: Peer reviews in the context of high stakes’ accountability. Intended and unintended consequences.- Chapter 4. Self-policing or self-improving? Analysing peer reviews between schools in England through the lens of isomorphism (Toby Greany).- Chapter 5. Case study of the National Association of Head Teachers’ ‘Instead’ Peer review in England (David Godfrey and Melanie Ehren).- Part IV: Peer review in unfamiliar national contexts: successes and challenges.- Chapter 6. Bulgaria: Peer Review Network Of Schools. Lessons From Innovative Practice In Bulgaria (Rossitsa Simeonova and Yonka Parvanova).- Chapter 7. Peer review in Czech education: a recognized but somewhat neglected tool for school development (Stanislav Michek, Martin Chvál and Milan Pol).- Part V: Peer review within school improvement partnerships.- Chapter 8. Challenge Partners Peer Review (George Berwick).- Chapter 9. The Education Development Trust’s Schools Partnership Program (Andrew Ettinger, John Cronin and Maggie Farrar).- Part VI: Participatory evaluation approaches to peer review.- Chapter 10. Empowering principals in peer review: the value of an empowerment evaluation approach for educational improvement (Kerrie Ikin).- Chapter 11. Research-Informed Peer Review (David Godfrey and Karen Spence-Thomas).- Chapter 12. Changing school leaders’ conversations about teaching and learning through a peer review process implemented in nine public schools in Chile (Mónica Cortez Muñoz, Fabián Campos, Carmen Montecinos, Jorge Rojas, Marcela Peña, Jorge Gajardo, Jorge Ulloa & Charles Albornoz).- Part VII: Synthesis and discussion.- Chapter 13.  Evaluation theory and peer review. Practice, policy and research implications (David Godfrey).

This book explores how peer reviews are used in school improvement, accountability and education system reform. Importantly, these issues are studied through numerous international cases and new empirical evidence. This volume also identifies and describes barriers and facilitators to the development, use, sustainability and expansion of school peer review. School peer reviews are a form of internal evaluation driven by schools themselves rather than externally imposed, such as with school inspections. Schools collaborate with other schools in networks, collect data through self-evaluation and in school review visits. They provide feedback, challenge and support to each other. Despite the increased use of school peer review in system reform and school improvement, very little research has been conducted on this model and there is a dearth of literature that looks at the phenomenon internationally. This book fills this gap and will be an invaluable source for academics in school leadership and educational evaluation and accountability, as well as those working at the level of executive leadership in school networks, NGOs and in government policy-making.

Fills a Gap on the Subject of School Peer Review Conceptualizes Peer Review within the Fields of Evaluation, Accountability and Joint Practice Development Presents Strong Empirical Evidence Contributions from Internationally Leading Academics and Practitioners