community also play significant roles in the education of the children. Because of the commonality of their interests, teachers should thus be willing to collaborate with the families and the community to develop successful learning programs for the students (Epstein 1995).
Impact of Multiple External Networks on School Organisational and Management Practices
In response to the need to increase the relevance of education to Australia's society, schools must reshape their organisational and management practices to acknowledge the evolving relationships with various external entities that include the governments, industry, tertiary institutions and service providers. For the most part, schools have traditionally functioned as discrete entities that are separate from the communities and the environment. However, in order for schools to be effective in producing graduates who can succeed in the "real world," they must be in tune with the needs of their communities. To achieve this objective, they need to be willing to forge partnerships with other organizations and institutions within their communities (Lang 2003).
For example, in order to provide graduates who can facilitate Australia's transition into an information economy, school leaders must be able to cooperate with governments, industries and information technology providers in establishing a sustainable infrastructure (DEST 2000). This decision may entail modifying the budget to allocate sums of money for investment in information technology, bringing information technology experts to work with teachers and even promoting teachers who possess knowledge in this specific area.
Similarly, the increasing popularity of community-based learning (Cumming 1997) and the promotion of non-syllabus learning (Pitman 2002) also require schools to reform their organisational structures and management practices. Schools must engage in internal reforms in order to allow them ...