Decades of research in educational practice have shown that national policies can benefit greatly from successful individual cases of school management. SEAMEO INNOTECH, in partnership with the Asian Network of Training and Research Institutions in Educational Planning (ANTRIEP), endeavors to promote national policymaking that is strongly grounded on the daily realities of schools and communities, whether in big urban centers or remote villages.

Two reports exploring how to improve school management are presented in this issue of the INNOTECH Journal. Being case studies largely carried out through qualitative data gathering and analysis techniques, the two reports delve into the details of how a successful school is managed from day to day.

The first report comes from the Philippines, authored by Barsaga and Lacuesta. They search and found two elementary schools which, despite barriers to improving teacher and student performance that seemed impossible to breach, never wavered in their belief that the school can be a life-changing force in their communities. A school-based teachers training system, a child-friendly policies, conscientious monitoring of student academic performance and physical improvements made possible through linkage with private entities--these are but a few of things working well for the two schools in the study.

From Malaysia, Ishak Sin and his colleagues examined the profile of winners of Malaysia's National Aspiring School Award, which gives recognition to successfully managed schools. The study sought to find ways of understanding local school management practices that could inform policymaking. A meticulous case study of one head teacher's experiences pointed to five main elements that are critical for school success: a visionary mind, creative problem solving skills, desire for continuous learning, passions for quality and a caring personality.

The partnership between ANTRIEP and SEAMEO INNOTECH will not stop with sharing what has already been known in making Southeast Asian schools succeed. The partnership hopes to be a part of the effort as schools pave their individual roads to success.