School Development Planning

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Planning for Change Implications for
partnerships Catherine Hennessy SMEI Drumcondra
Education Centre 2nd December 2006

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International context

• Globalisation
• Knowledge economy
• Technology
• Science/Maths graduates
• Accountability
• Societal changes
• Family structures
• Role of religion, politics
• Culture of choice
• Substance abuse

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Irish educational context

• Revised curriculum
• Legal requirements
• Partnership
• Accountability
• National initiatives
• Disadvantage - DEIS
• Other

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• Understanding the change process
• is exceedingly elusive
• 
  Fullan, 2001

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• Change needs to be viewed as a permanent
  characteristic of organisational life, an
  essential component of effective educational
  management.
• Dalton et al., 2001

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Change process

• Initiation
• Consultation, discussion, agreement to proceed
• Implementation
• Putting change into practice
• Continuation
• Success or failure to embed the change into the
  structure of the school
• Fullan, 2001

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Managing change
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Leadership

• Principal
• Leader and facilitator of change
• Vision to attract commitment and enthusiasm
• Gatekeeper of change
• Dealing with multiple innovations
• Needs to assess proposals for benefit to teaching
  and learning
• Distributed leadership
• In-school management
• Class teachers
• Support staff
• Parents
• Pupils

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Collaborative culture

• Respect for all members of staff
• Team approach
• Positive climate for innovation
• Delegation of tasks
• Democratic processes for decision-making
• Accountability
• Effective use of time, resources, services

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Effective planning structures

• Clear goals
• Defined roles and responsibilities
• Supportive behaviour
• Trust one another
• Offer constructive criticism
• Share the workload
• Cooperate with each other
• Communications system
• Circulation of information
• Regular meetings
• In-school management
• Inclusion of all staff
• Procedures to implement, monitor and evaluate
  changes
• Access relevant external support agencies

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Teaching and learning

• Educational organisations that give high priority
  to learning, and which maintain a culture to
  support it at all levels, are the ones most able
  to react imaginatively to and meet the challenges
  of an uncertain world.
• Coleman and Earley, 2005
• Moral purpose of the highest order is having a
  system where all students learn, the gap between
  high and low performance becomes greatly reduced,
  and what people learn enables them to be
  successful citizens and workers in a morally
  based knowledge society.
• Fullan, 2003

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Time

• Legislation
• Curriculum inservice, implementation
• Literacy and Numeracy concerns
• Administrative policies
• Special needs
• International pupils
• Induction of newly qualified teachers
• Partnership
• Accountability
• Collaboration v teaching/learning time

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• Time is also related to class size, with its
  increasing demands for assessment,
  differentiation, record keeping and reporting,
  all of which multiply teacher time per individual
  pupil.
• MacBeath, 1999

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Resources

• Personnel pivotal resource
• Equipment
• Materials
• Selection
• Management
• Funding

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Case Study

• What are the conditions that support the
  implementation of change in one primary school?

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Case study

• Urban school in disadvantaged area
• Junior infants to 6th class
• 24 on teaching staff
• Changes in personnel

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Findings

• Majority feel change is managed well
• Key leadership role of principal
• Roles clearly defined
• Chairperson Board of Management
• HSCL teacher
• Parents
• Teachers
• Support staff
• Effective planning structures
• Good system of communications
• Efficient utilisation of time, resources,
  supports

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Leadership
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Leadership

• Agreement that principal provides the vision to
  lead and sustain change within the school
• Has clear goals - improve learning outcomes for
  pupils
• Offers support, encourages initiative and
  delegates responsibility
• Applies pressure as well as support when required
• Added burden due to staff turnover dependency
  of younger members of staff
• Challenge of working in a disadvantaged community

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School climate and culture

• Healthy relationships based on respect for all
• Positive role of principal identified by
  teachers, chairperson BoM, parents, support staff
• The ways in which leaders relate to members of
  the school community help establish the norms of
  behaviour desired for others.
• Dimmock, 2000

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School climate and culture

• Cooperation good working relations
• Collegiality being members of a team
• Supported by principal and each other
• Induction programme for new teachers mentor,
  social activities
• Resources provided
• Teachers involved in evaluation process
• Opportunities for staff development

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Board of Management

• Principals perspective
• BoM have a positive role involved in a
  meaningful way
• Consultation/opportunities to contribute
• Good working relationship with chairperson and
  Board
• Challenge to get parents to become Board members
• Chairpersons perspective
• Acknowledges key leadership role of principal
• Support for school community
• Challenge to improve communications and
  interactions between Board and teachers
• Teachers perspective
• Undecided or insignificant supports provided by
  BoM

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Parents

• Role of principal
• Home School Community Liaison teacher
• Welcoming atmosphere
• Parents committee
• Activities/Courses personal development, ...
• In-school work Maths for Fun
• Teachers viewpoint little contact in senior
  classes, issues around homework, assignments

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Planning structures

• Communications system circulation of
  information/journals/courses, staff notice board
  - daily and weekly updates, newsletter
• Monthly staff meetings active participation,
  democratic decision-making
• Consultation with in-school management team
• Class teachers meet regularly to plan

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Planning structures

• In-school planning days well organised
• Tasks clearly outlined
• Groups
• work ethic
• motivation
• commitment
• Successful outcomes encourages greater
  collaboration

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Time

• Principal regards the amount of time needed to
  deal with administration, legislation and
  curriculum reform, social issues, families in
  crisis as being a major concern
• Majority of teachers feel that time is allocated
  and used effectively to implement change

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Implications of study
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Support for the school community

• Selection, training and ongoing support for
  principals
• Aware of trends and influences that impact on
  education
• Implement policy
• Administer the work of the school
• Engage in human resource management
• Leader of teaching and learning
• Board of Management role, skills training,
  ongoing support
• Support for teachers CPD, induction, in-career

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Support for the school community

• Schools in areas of disadvantage
• Teacher retention
• Literacy and Numeracy
• Attendance
• Home-school links encourage involvement through
  additional supports for most disadvantaged
  families
• Multi-agency approach co-ordinated delivery of
  supports to address social and family issues

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A snapshot of the change process in one school

• To illuminate the general by looking at the
  particular
• Denscombe, 2003