Leadership story: Re-evaluating science through professional learning

We present a leadership story about how a Principal engaged her staff in action research and collaborative professional learning on science teaching. The Principal actively built a professional learning community through setting up inquiry processes and opportunities for staff to share their beliefs and ongoing development. Her pedagogical leadership involved creating an environment of open-mindedness, accountability and transparency. She created effective structures and frameworks for developing ongoing adaptive teacher expertise through inquiry, planning and implementation of curricula that focused on student learning in science. As a result, teachers gained confidence and competence in science content knowledge and pedagogical practices linked to making the Nature of Science more explicit and focusing on students' learning. Such processes can inform ongoing professional learning and performance management processes in schools.