‘What works’ and making it work for you

‘What works’ and making it work for you Dr Graham Stoop Dr Carol Mutch Education Review Office First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Part 1 What works? First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

What makes an effective school? An analysis of ERO’s national reports since 2007 shows that schools that provide a high quality education have five key characteristics… First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Schools provide a high quality education when they: • Focus on the learner; • Promote leadeship within an inclusive culture; • Enhance effective teaching; • Engage with their communities; and • Implement coherent policies and practices in a cycle of continuous self review. First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Focus on the learner • This is done through a careful analysis of learner potential, needs, progress and achievement • Appropriate and timely assessment practices pinpoint learner needs and next steps • Evidence-based decisions are made about curriculum, teaching strategies and interventions First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Programmes and resources are carefully selected and evaluated • Learners are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning • Progress is effectively monitored and achievement is clearly communicated First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Promote leadership within an inclusive culture • Effective school leadership begins with the principal who sets the direction but recognises that each of the leadership, governance and management roles have a part to play • Roles are clearly defined and grounded in shared visions, values and expectations First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Leaders are supported to develop the skills for the roles they undertake • Leaders set the tone for the school culture and build respectful relationships • Leaders celebrate diversity and model inclusive, culturally appropriate ways of operating, with particular recognition of the place of the tangata whenua • Leaders work in partnership with and offer leadership opportunities to other staff, parents, whānau and those in the wider community First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Enhance effective teaching • Effective teachers are committed to providing high quality education for all their learners • They treat children and young people as individuals, positively acknowledging their differences and building collaborative learning relationships within a respectful classroom culture First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Teachers set high yet attainable expectations, providing learning-rich programmes that respond to learner needs and interests • Effective teachers differentiate the curriculum based on a careful analysis of relevant data • They engage learners in purposeful learning through a range of media and resources • Teachers are themselves supported to undertake professional learning and to strengthen their pedagogical content learning First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Engage with their communities • Effective schools listen to the aspirations that parents and whānau have for their children • They consult with them on relevant matters and communicate with them in a timely manner • Staff are approachable, knowledgeable and willing to share their realistic appraisal of learner potential and progress First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Effective schools value communication as a two-way experience • They make use of agencies, organisations, resources and personnel in the wider community to enhance learners’ educational and social outcomes First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Implement coherent policies and practices in a cycle of continuous self review • A feature of effective schools is that all aspects of their operations are aligned and consistent with the agreed values, aims and priorities • Thoughtful decision making is evident from the Board of Trustees, through all levels of school management to individual teachers and groups of learners First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

There are high levels of respect, trust, transparency and “big picture thinking” • Systems and processes are coherent, logical and clearly expressed • Decisions are made in a cycle of continuous self review and critical reflection • External critique is welcomed, carefully considered and built into planning and decision making First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Part 2 Making it work for you First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

How do you create an effective school? • How do you know if your learners’ needs are being met? • How do you know if your leadership is inclusive? • How do you know if your teachers are effective? • How do you know if your communties are engaged? • How do you know if your decision making is effective and efficient? First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Not by • Becoming complacent • Focusing on blame • Putting it in the too-hard basket • Being captured by the here-and-now • Following the latest fad or continuing to do what has always been done • Trying to do it alone or trying to do it all at once First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

But by • Focusing on continuous improvement • Building a culture that embraces challenge • Forgetting blame and looking for solutions • Selecting priorities • Having plans (short, medium and long term) • Seeking appropriate expertise; and • Asking the hard questions First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Self review Is about asking the hard questions Is about a culture of critical reflection Is about using the data you already have to better effect Is not new Is not an add-on Is not done to satisfy external requirements Uses much of what you are already doing First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Internal uses of self review Gathering and analysing data to diagnose student need or report on progress and achievement Collating data to make planning, teaching and programme decisions Aggregating data to make school-wide decisions on strategic directions and priorities Evaluating the success of programmes and interventions Including student voice in decision making Building a culture of evaluative thinking First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

External uses of self review Reporting to parents Communication with parents, families, whānau and communities Consultation with stakeholders Informing professional knowledge Participating in community and research partnerships Informing national policy development MoE Planning and Reporting requirements Preparation for external review (ERO) First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

What then is self review? “Self review involves investigatingevidence about student outcomes and current ways of doing things to find out where improvement is needed. Planning for school improvement requires schools to set goals and targets for better student outcomes and to make the changes that are necessary to bring about those improvements” (MoE, 2003) First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

“…the deliberate and on-going process of finding out how well our practice enhances children’s learning and development. Review allows us to see which aspects of our practice are working well and what we could do better. As a result we can make decisions about what to do to improve. Through review our practice is transformed, and ultimately, children’s learning benefits” (MoE, 2006) First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

What do we know about what works in self review? First-Time Principals’ Residential Course It needs: • Strong leadership • Agreed purposes • Both planned and spontaneous reviews • Reviews with a clear focus • Committed and collaborative • Sound sustainable systems • Appropriate resources and support • Professional development (ERO, 2008)

How to get started Find a model that suits your needs Make it part of your regular planning cycle Start small and focused Use what you already have Don’t just gather data, interrogate it Develop an action plan Ask how you will know if you have succeeded First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

What kind of model? Self review (Considering) Planning (Organising) Reporting (Informing) Monitoring (Checking) Implementation (Putting plans into action) A model is simply a process to follow to ensure that you don’t miss an important step The 1997 MoE self review newsletter had this model: First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Another example What do we need to know more about? What are the questions we need to ask? What is our data telling us? Why will we ask these questions? What do we (or do we) need to improve or change? What more evidence or data do we need to collect? What do we want to do with the results and how will we use this information? How have we made a difference? To what? To whom? How do we know? Who do we need to involve? First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

Some useful questions • What is so? • What do we know? • What does this show? • Why is it so? • Why is it like this? • Why is it important? • So what? • What is significant? • Now what? • Where to next? • What do we need to do and what do we need to do it? • How have we done? • How do we know? • What do we want to achieve? • How will we know? First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

How ERO can assist A handout with some discussion questions to support this talk is available from the speakers Recent ERO national reports contain self review questions on different topics ERO is compiling a set of self review case studies ERO is offering a series of workshops later in the year (keep your eye on the Gazette) First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

E kore te tangata e pakari i runga i te wai marino First-Time Principals’ Residential Course

‘What works’ and making it work for you