A critical friend is a consultant who can assist individual subjects (i.e. teachers) and/or organizations (i.e. schools) in the journey toward the improvement of their output’s quality, and who is capable of acting, depending on the situation, in a friendly and/or critical way (Costa & Callick, 1995; MacBeath, 1999). The combination of this idea with the scientific practice of the action-research can lead to the development of a new kind of professional role in the school improvement process: that of School Improvement Advisor/researcher (SIA). In brief, during our experience as critical friends lasting some years in two Swiss vocational schools, we became aware of the fact that, if one is to carry on his advisory duty in a really effective way, some key and well-defined competences are necessary: first of all, at the relational level, in order to carry out respectful and non-invasive actions; then, on the strategic plane, in order to be capable of a sustainable and realistic planning of the action; and thirdly – most important of all – at the epistemological level, in order to guarantee and validate the scientific status of the action-research conducted by the school (or by the teacher). It is important to stress that the action of the SIA takes place in a context of de-centralization and autonomy of the schools and that, if played in a rigorous way, this role can be an important part of the missing link between school effectiveness and school improvement. Actually, with the assistance of a SIA, the schools can go beyond the mere empirical character marking the great part of today’s action-research, founding on a scientific (but still humanistic) framework the improvement of their educative action. This approach stems from a contemporary reading, adapted to the school field, of both the original meaning of the idea of action research by Kurt Lewin (Lewin, 1967; 1951) and his more recent evolution by Argyris and Schön (Argyris, 1993; Argyris & Schön, 1991). Some of main tasks of the SIA are the following ones: • Collaboration with the school on improvement projects and actions • Analytical and methodological consultancy to the schools • Expression of competent advices to school’s principals in the case of important pedagogical and didactical choices • Planning, consultancy and scientific advice on school’s own research projects • Assistance to the teachers in the improvement of teaching • Diffusion and popularization into the school of academic educational research’s results • Steady engagement aiming at the development of a constructive climax in the school • Participation to the activity of interdisciplinary and collaborative groups between teachers Our presentation begins with the explanation of the theoretical framework that surrounds the SIA’s action, with reference to the practice of school improvement in a context of de-centralization concerning the school in the Western countries in a post-modern era; this introduction is followed by the exposition of some empirical results resulting from our practice in the schools (global self-evaluation process, pupil’s ratings of teaching and of socialization, experiences of authentic learning). Argyris, C. (1993) Knowledge for Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Argyris, C. & Schön, D. (1991) Participatory Action Research and Action Science Compared. In W. White (Ed.), Participatory Action Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Costa, A., Callick, B. (1995) Assessment in Learning Organizations. Alexandria: ASCD Lewin, K. (1951) Field Theory in Social Science. New York: Harper & Row Lewin, K. (1967) Resolving Social Conflicts. New York: Harper & Row MacBeath, J. (1999) Schools Must Speak for Themselves. The Case for School Self-evaluation. London and New York: Routledge.

Action research, self-evalutation, questionnaries, rubrics

Improvement in the schools, founded on a scientific framework, with a constructivist process. Outcomes: improvement of the didactic and climax in the classroom and in the school, development of projects aiming at authentic learning and experimentation of advanced forms of self-evaluation by the pupils