Empowering every voice through co-production in school improvement: Leading with the social brain in mind

What if every voice in your school community could genuinely shape improvement initiatives? What if collaboration moved beyond tokenistic consultation to become a powerful driver of meaningful change? This group of 6 round table dialogues invites participants into exploration of co-production as a transformative approach to school improvement planning. Through carefully crafted provocations and peer to peer sharing, participants will deliberate and reflect on key messages from research as they make connections and share their own experiences in designing, developing, creating and implementing a school’s annual improvement plan. We examine how one principal's practice of leading with the social brain in mind transforms stakeholder engagement from silent participation to authentic co-production. Our case study demonstrates how understanding the social and cognitive complexities of collaboration enables adaptive processes that honour context rather than impose rigid frameworks. This principal's deliberate practice shows how research-informed leadership can empower all stakeholders - from teachers to students to community members - as genuine change-makers within their unique school environment. Our facilitated dialogue will explore provocations around: Schools as complex and sophisticated organisations Social and cognitive complexity of collaboration – what gets derailed in your context and why Differentiated relationships and cultures grounded in trust Silo Mentality as a construct of function, knowledge and experience – mechanisms of self-protection from the metaphorical avalanches, hijacking and tsunamis Determining what is reasonable in the time available – competing tensions and multiplying demands Creating adaptive pathways that work – for whom, when and how Each table becomes a microcosm of co-production itself, where participants' diverse experiences illuminate new possibilities. By weaving together this compelling example of social brain-informed leadership wi