Marian Lewis

Building sustainable futures: emerging understandings of the significant contribution of the professional learning community

This article draws on the experiences of a range of Australian schools engaging with a teacher-centred process of whole-school renewal known as IDEAS (Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievement in Schools). IDEAS enhances the professional capacity of teachers to improve school outcomes such as student learning, relationships with the community, and the coherence of school operation. The article explores how through their engagement with IDEAS, teacher leaders emerge from the professional learning community of the school. After outlining the essential elements of IDEAS, the article explores: how teacher leaders can work collaboratively with administrators to create a contextualized pedagogical framework that transforms their practice; the key concepts of parallel leadership; alignment; and professional conversation. Working with IDEAS, schools create their own futures, supported by their particular pedagogical framework and ways of working. Examples are drawn from particular schools to illustrate the diversity of their experiences and of their learning.

Becoming and Being a Social Entrepreneur in Regional Australia: What Can Be Learned and Shared

This chapter reflects on the developmental journey of social entrepreneur Luke Terry and the increasing impact that his work is having in a regional Queensland community in Australia. Two strands of Luke’s early life, his flair for business and his commitment to social action, converged to provide a foundation for his becoming a social entrepreneur. His role as the executive director of the Toowoomba Clubhouse (a non-government organisation dedicated to providing people with mental illness with the opportunity to achieve their potential) has provided the context for this work. Under Luke’s guidance, a number of social ventures have created employment for Toowoomba Clubhouse members, with their success opening the way for bigger projects along with more challenges and accompanying stresses. This is no easy road. Luke’s story provides insights into what it means genuinely to bridge the gap between the two very different worlds of business and social work. It illustrates what can be achieved by bringing these different elements of the community together with a common purpose: the creation of significant social enterprises that focus on sustainable employment and the benefit of the community. The chapter also seeks to share what Luke has learned on this journey, to open up possibilities and increase understandings of what it might mean to work in this area.