Learnings from Diagnostic Reviews

1. Learnings from Diagnostic Reviews Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness

2. Diagnostic Reviews • QIE has conducted 33 diagnostic reviews over the past 2 years • Predominantly in primary schools but a number of R-12 and 2 secondary sites • Additional 10 diagnostic reviews to be conducted by the end of Term 3 2009 • Over 400 hours observing in about 200 classrooms in 2008 • Identified a number of SYSTEMS issues DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

3. So what have we learnt? DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

4. Improvement isn’t linear and… …where you start from influences the next steps DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

5. Appreciative Inquiry • People have more confidence going into the future (unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (known). • If we carry parts of the past into the future, they should be the best about the past Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry, Sue Annis Hammond DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

6. Commendations are the Key Appreciative Inquiry is based on the premise that- “in every organisation something works and change can be managed through the identification of what works and the analysis of how to do more of what works’.Sue Annis Hammond • The report COMMENDATIONS tell us about your values, passions and strengths • USE THEM to build from successes-unpack and explore them tounderstand and capture ‘what works’ DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

7. Make success explicit…for staff & students DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

8. ‘... the most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher. ... The immediate and clear implication of this finding is that seemingly more can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers than by any other single factor’. Wright, S.; Horn, S. & Sanders, W. (1997).Teacher and Classroom Context Effects on Student Achievement: Implications for Teacher Evaluation DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

9. ….. students learn best when teachers accept responsibility for student outcomes. Dimmock, 1993 Restructuring for School Effectiveness. DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

10. Focus on learning • Establish clear and high expectations for teachers and learners • Review and use data to establish challenging standards for all students • Improve and monitor curriculum coverage, consistency and coherence • Identify, document and monitor teaching agreements, coach staff to enact them • Review effectiveness of processes used to support students at risk- class and school level DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

11. Focus on learning • Broaden the range of pedagogies in operation to engage and extend all learners • Provide more explicit teaching of skills and concepts, seize the teachable moments • Ensure learning activities provide relevant, challenging tasks with high order thinking, extended time on task and clear success criteria • Provide for differentiation and peer/group work within the normal classroom program DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

12. Focus on learning • Improve programming, planning, record keeping and assessment practices • Clarify and monitor teacher program expectations- term/year overviews- link to PM • Support teachers to use achievement data and build an assess-teach-plan cycle • Improve the quality of verbal and written feedback and marking provided to students • Extend the use of peer moderation, observation and critical reflection by teachers DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

13. Whole school agreements are important How is it we can have whole school agreements about ‘lining up’ and not teaching and learning?Some stuff really does make a difference! ‘Never work harder than your students’ Robyn R. Jackson DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

14. Attend to Culture … school improvement is not about a dependency culture but about the school doing something for itself, which it wants to do. Meeting the Challenge, David Hopkins 2001 DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

15. Attend to Culture • Promote a critically collaborative and reflective teaching and learning culture • Establish a job-embedded, whole school professional learning focus for staff • Build accountability for agreements through performance management and peer meetings • Structure regular and explicit planning time between teachers and for teachers and SSOs • Attend to key culture building processes eg induction, performance management, professional development, communication and decision making DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

16. Teacher Wellbeing For teachers to be open and reflective to incorporate new learnings into practices they need to feel that they are valued, respected, supported and capable.This requires a culture that supports wellbeing for adults as well as learners. DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

17. Set Directions Natasha: "Boris, you got plan?" Boris: "Behehe... Plan? Of course I got plan. Dey don't ever work, but I got one!" Rocky & Bullwinkle DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

18. Set Directions • Engage staff (stakeholders) in setting narrow and deep directions/priorities for improvement • Limit and focus priorities- what specific aspect of literacy will you improve? Why? • Strengthen targets and translate into actions- how many students, who are they? • Collaboratively set classroom level strategies and monitor for effectiveness • Link wellbeing and behaviour strategies to learning focus- integrate/weave priorities • Review management process/calendars - reduce projects and event driven curriculum DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

19. Challenge: Wellbeing for What? • What is our goal for engaging with learner wellbeing? • What are the outcomes from our efforts? …..unless school improvement strategies impact directly on learning and achievement then we are surely wasting our time.Hopkins 2001 DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

20. Shared Leadership Leadership is to this decade what standards was to the 1990s if you want large-scale, sustainable reform. Leadership at all levels, developing and supporting leadership and expecting leaders to develop other leaders are all essential components of present day strategies. Michael Fullan, 2003 DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

21. Shared Leadership • Promote pedagogy and curriculum as the key focus for all leadership roles • Structure regular strategic leadership meetings, clarify roles, develop a joint stance • Teacher leaders– encourage staff to step up, support colleagues, undertake AST/leadership • Student voice and choice- teach students and structure for them to make choices within classes, the curriculum and across the school • Investigate different ways to engage parents in their child’s learning DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

22. Grow improvement I think that it is dangerous to try to create great changes in human nature in any short space and time. If you’re going to change a civilisation, it can only be done as the gardener does it, not as the engineer does it. That is, it has got to be done in harmony with the rules of nature and can’t all be done overnight. That’s why I’m against practically all revolutions- because they usually end up badly by trying to do too much at once. George Kennan DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

23. Difference is contextual READY for improvement • Clear directions, effective plan, resources & first steps WILLING to improve • Agreed directions, culture supports learning, critical collaboration ABLE to improve • Knowledge & skills to improvePD and performance feedbackSufficient time • Not ready – plan, debate, discuss • Not willing – build culture/morale/trust • Not able- PD, model, teach, observations DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

24. (1, 4) Role Clarity (2,3) Staff Morale (0, 5) Supportive Leadership (0, 3) Teaching & Learning (4, 1) Student Behaviour (5, 0) Student Achievement Start small - look for levers/root causes Example: Staff Wellbeing Helpful tools- Inter-Relationships Diagram, 5 Whys etc DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

25. ‘Effective schools are ones in which principals and teachers focus on student learning outcomes and link this information to improvements in teaching and learning strategies.’ Michael Fullan 2003 DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

26. Effective schools: • have leaders who are dedicated to obtaining quality performance from teachers and students alike • have a climate in which learning is stressed, order exists and all are committed to a single vision • are student-oriented and classrooms are permeated with the belief that all students can learn and all are expected to reach their full potential • emphasize time on task, require daily homework, and offer a warm and supportive work environment where teachers use a variety of teaching styles and encourage student interaction and team learning.Weller & Hartley, TQM & School Restructuring (1994) DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009

27. For support / questions / comment • Contact QIE!www.decs.sa.gov.au/quality • Katrina Spencerspencer.katrina@saugov.sa.gov.au8226 1349 DECS Quality, Improvement & Effectiveness Unit, 2009