School Development Consulting in Networks – Current Research Perspectives from Austria

Abstract

While school development has for a long time focused on individual schools, current attention is internationally shifting toward forms of cooperation between schools and with various external partners in networks. School Development Consulting (SDC) is considered an important factor that is expected to make a significant contribution to the success of emerging school networks. This article focuses on school networks and their significance for school development, with additional support provided by SDC. The basis of the study is a content analysis of the perception of SDC within the school network "Shaping society by fostering Democracy in Schools" (SSDS) at the University of Education Upper Austria (Austria). This network serves as an example for school development within the framework of networks with additional support from SDC. The article aims to answer the questions of which supportive or hindering conditions can be identified in school development processes within school networks and which specific contribution does SDC make within these processes. For the analysis, 14 key actors involved in the school development and consulting process of the above-mentioned network were interviewed. The analysis reveals that SDC strengthens development processes within school networks by providing support, creating structures, mediating between the individual school level and the network level, and promoting transfer. At the same time, success factors such as practical relevance and educational expertise as characteristics of the consultants, as well as process design and sense-making as key activities, became evident. The findings highlight the importance of a stable and supportive school leader in school development processes. Finally, four professional functions of school development consultants within a school network were identified: Continuity Function, Transfer Function, Coordination Function, as well as Expertise and Legitimacy Function. As a result of the analysis, a recommendation is made for the further professionalization of SDC within school networks toward a collaborative, co-constructive SDC that initiates organizational transformation processes at the individual school level as wall as the network level.