Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1998

u s i n g q u e s t i o n n a i r e s . Baseline d a t a collected i n the initial year w i l l be used to h e l p the schools set priorities a n d procedures f or d e v e l o pme n t. I t w i l lalso serve as a y a r d s t i ck against w h i c h data collecte d i n the second a n d t h i r d years can be measured . Discrepancies w i l l be used to calculate the schools' change i n educational v a l u e after i m p l e m e n t a t i o n . T he t e am w i l l also p a y o b s e r v a t i on visits to schools a n d c o n d u c t i n t e r v i e w s w i t h principals, teachers, a n d students, u s i ng r a n d om s a m p l i n g . S u ch q u a l i t a t i ve d a ta w i l l e n a b le m o r e comprehensive research a n d d e v e l o pme n t w o r k . T h e p r o j e c t w a s o f f i c i a l l y l a u n c h e d o n 21st September 1998. It is expected to d o g o o d to far b e y o n d 50 schools as the d e v e l o pme nt a nd research experience of each school can be e x t e n d ed a n d a p p l i ed to other schools. I t also serves as a v a l u a b le p r e c e d e n t f o r educational r e f o rm i n H o n g K o n g , the ma i n l a n d , a n d Chinese-speaking c ommu n i t i es i n south-east Asia. • Officiating guests a t t h e o p e n i ng c e r e m o ny of HKASP o n 21st September 1 998. Dr. Lee Hon-chiu, chair of the University Council (middle), Mr . Irving Koo f r om the Quality Education Fund (left 2), a n d Mrs. Lee Shek Yuk-yu, representative of the principals of participatin g schools (right 2). Als o present w e r e Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, vice-chancellor of t h e University (right 1), a nd Prof. C h u ng Yue-ping, CUH K dean o f education (left 1 ). Self-improvement Mechanis m o fthe Schools 1. Taking stock— i d e n t i f y i n g o w n s t r e n g t h s a n d w e a k n e s s e s so as t o d e v e l o p t h e o n e a n d m a k e u p f o r t he o t h e r 2. B u i l d i ng of vision a n d t h e c o r r e s p o n d i ng a c t i on f or its actualization 3. Setting priorities 4. G e n e r a t i ng o r r e f o r m i ng g o v e r n a n ce structure t o giv e i m p e t u s t o g o al a c h i e v e m e n t 5. I n q u i r i ng — drawing u p p r o c e d u r e s f or e v a l u a t i on a n d reassessment o f effectiveness Launching the Accelerated Schools Project in Hong Kong 21