An exploration study of the implementation of a performance and development framework in NSW government secondary schools

New public management has delivered a range of reforms to schools including the self managing school and standards based reform. Implicit in the reform agenda is the notion that teachers, schools and school systems be held accountable for their contributions to student learning. The new external accountability requirements have created many challenges for schools as professional learning communities in terms of their development of sustainable leadership, collaborative cultures and effective professional learning. This multiple case study explores how three government secondary schools are interpreting and implementing the New South Wales Department of Education’s Performance and Development Framework introduced in 2015. A theoretical framework developed from a review of the literature provides a basis for analysing and discussing the implementation of the accountability framework within the schools. The study sought to identify any challenges that are arising from implementation, how those challenges are being resolved, if at all, and to what outcomes for principals, teachers and their performance and development supervisors. In doing so, it also sought to identify any implications for further research.