The Queensland Department of Education (Australia) oversees the learning outcomes of more than a half million full-time students enrolled in 1,241 state schools situated in seven geographic education regions. Triggered by low performance in 2008, its statewide improvement approach dramatically transformed the nature of instruction and has achieved compelling improvements in student outcomes, most significantly for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

The Queensland Department of Education is spotlighted for its impactful 10-year improvement journey. Its intentional development of system leaders across regions and schools to support quality in its continuous improvement efforts has (1) used data to inform and align its decision making and improvement efforts from the central office to the classroom, (2) developed and refined a School Improvement Model that defines the roles and practices for all teachers and leaders, and (3) cultivated the professional communities that support schools to learn from each other as they move toward better quality outcomes in their respective contexts and for their particular student populations.