In this paper, Campbell-Allen argues that a potentially underutilised lever in the Australian context – what might be called the ‘invisible middle tier’ in Australian schooling systems – has an important role to play in supporting school improvement, creating coherence, and delivering on the promise of equity. In broad terms, the middle tier or layer in education systems can be considered a system of support and accountability connecting schools and the centre and can include partnerships and networks.

Drawing on her research, the author argues that regional coherence and collective sense-making practices – such as epistemic communities – can be an enabling force for positive system change. Campbell-Allen asserts that a more important goal for the system, specifically the middle tier, is one of coherence rather than alignment; outlines how the middle tier has been defined; provides a brief overview of the Queensland context; discusses four conceptualisations of the region and three regional functions; and briefly considers the relationship of knowledge and the middle tier. This paper has relevance for principals, leaders within the middle tier and policymakers across the schooling sectors.