Educational Change

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Educational Change
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Why Change
Change change, who needs change? Things are bad
enough the way they are! Lord Salisbury.
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Saul, 1992 Voltaires Bastards

• Thus among the illusions which have invested our
  civilization is an absolute belief that the
  solution to our problems must be a more
  determined application of rationally organized
  expertise. The illusion is that we have created
  the most sophisticated society in the history of
  man. The reality is that the division of
  knowledge into feudal fiefdoms of expertise has
  made general understanding and coordinated action
  not simply impossible but despised and
  distrusted. P.8

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Michael Fullan 2001

• We need to replace Pollyana-ish rhetoric with
  informed action by accepting nothing less than
  positive results on a massive scale -- at both
  the individual and organizational levels.

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The flight and education analogy

• From the success of the Kitty Hawk in 1903 to the
  success of the DC3 in 1935, five critical
  technologies had to be integrated before the
  invention of flight became an innovation
• Variable-pitch propeller
• Retractable landing gear
• Light-weight molded body construction
• Radial air cooled engine
• Wing flaps
• In addition, it wasnt until the invention of the
  jet engine and radar that it shifted to a
  world-wide application.

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The flight and education analogy

• In the 1960s we began to inquire into what
  teachers did to create effective classrooms. In
  the 1970s we inquired into what school staffs
  did to create classrooms and schools and how
  they got that way. Now we have an understanding
  of the bigger picture of school systems we
  see the players of the ensemble.
• the knowledge of how to create effective
  classrooms
• the knowledge of how to create effective
  schools
• the knowledge of the conditions under which
  teachers learn
• the knowledge of change how to initiate,
  implement and sustain change
• the knowledge of systems as learning
  organizations

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Critical issue

• The ability and willingness to collectively act
  -- with wisdom -- on the existing information
  related to improving classrooms, schools, and
  school districts
• Remember, it is far easier to research and write
  about change -- than to be a player in the
  process of change -- to be the ones who do it.

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The Phenomenon of Applied Intelligence

• the task is not so much to understand what
  others have thought, but the extent to which one
  continues to integrate and act on what is
  understood.

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The Phenomenon of Collectively Applied
Intelligence

• the task is not for one person to integrate
  and act on what is understood, but the extent to
  which an organization can collectively integrate
  and act on what is understood

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Charles Darwin

• studied the differences in humanity and
  maintained that except for fools, men did not
  differ much in intelligence, only in zeal and
  hard work.

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Educational Change plays out on a time line

• Politics, in a democracy, plays out in a time
  frame

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Educational Change
Implementation dip (drop, ditch, blip)
Initiate, Implement, Sustain Change Skill
Training Model Concerns Based Adoption Model
School Culture
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Three Stages of Change

• Initiation
• Implementation
• Sustaining if worthwhile

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Factors affecting initiation

• Access to information
• New Policy, Funds, Bureaucratic Orientation
• Community support or lack of support
• Central Administration
• Existence of quality instruction
• External change agent
• Teacher advocacy

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Fifteen Districts 25 years central office

• Are those in central office respected as
  educators and as quality human beings
• Are those in central office wise about change and
  how classrooms and schools function
• What is the district history re how they have
  gone about change in the past
• Are they going to stay or are they looking for a
  new position in another district
• Do those in central office work together
  collaboratively/collegially or are they
  balkanized into turf areas
• Do they attend workshops with teachers and
  principals

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Fifteen Districts 25 years principals

• Are they respected as leaders and as caring
  thoughtful human beings
• Are they wise about curriculum, assessment,
  instruction and how students and teachers learn
• Can they go into classrooms and do demonstration
  lessons
• Do they spend time in teachers classrooms
• Why were they hired because they had a masters
  degree or because they are skilled at all of the
  above or a combination of the two
• Do they attend workshops with teachers
• Do they make sure the teachers attend in teams

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Fifteen Districts 25 years teachers

• How have they experienced change over time in
  their district - intersected with their career
  cycle
• How deeply do they care about working with kids
• How skilled are they at working with others in
  the school and district (social intelligence)
• What is their mean score with kids (0 - 100)
• What is their conceptual flexibility
• Are they willing to work with each other in each
  others classroom
• Do they understand change
• Do they understand how curriculum, assessment,
  instruction and how kids learn must intersect

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Factors affecting implementation

• Local Characteristics district, community,
  principals, consultants, teachers, trustees,
  superintendents
• Characteristics of Change Need, Clarity,
  Complexity, Quality, Practicality
• External Factorsgovernment, universities,
  teacher federation/unions, community

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Factors affecting sustaining

• Widespread use
• Career Cycle sensitive
• Internal Capacity/Sustainability
• On going research internally
• On going research externally
• Research focuses on student learning
• Research focuses on teacher skill level prior to
  focusing on student learning

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CBAM (Concerns Based Adoption Model)

• Levels of Use
• Non-User
• Orientation
• Preparation
• Mechanical
• Routine
• Refined
• Integrative
• Refocusing

• Levels of Concern
• No Concerns
• Awareness
• Information
• Personal
• Impact on Students
• Collaborative

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School/District Culture

• Balkanized school/district culture
• Hierarchical school/district culture
• Individualized school/district culture
• Collaborative/Collegial school/district culture

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Ten Districts Involved
Tasmania (Australia) - 220 schools - year 7
(14) Western Australia - 858 schools - year
six York Region - 190 schools - year six
Western Quebec - 40 schools - year four Merritt
(BC) - 20 schools - year four York Private
School - year three North Vancouver - 40
schools - year three Thames Valley - 190
schools - year three Peel Board - 210 schools -
year three PEI - 80 schools - year two
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Basic Conditions
must attend workshops in teams school admin
must be part of team central office must also
attend - director/superintendent follow-up
sessions for sharing, problem solving etc.
demonstration lessons - taped, edited, shared
sharing between districts build internal
capacity research the impact internally
connect with local university build an advisory
committee write a book on systemic change
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Basic Components
Integrate the knowledge of five key areas how
students learn what students are to learn
(curriculum) assessing the learning
instruction educational change systemic
change
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The Principal Principle

• The more the principal and assistant principal
  understand the innovations being implemented the
  greater the chances they will support those
  innovations being implemented the further they
  are away from it the less likely it is they
  will provide the needed resources. One more thing
  if those at central office do not understand
  and show their support, the less likely the
  principal will show support. Organizational
  efficacy begets teacher efficacy.

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Beyond understanding change consider that
in terms of impact, failing to act on what we
known is the same as not knowing.
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Systemic Change

• Involve all stakeholders so that if you lose key
  people or funding you do not lose your momentum
  sustainability
• Prince Edward Island - 70 schools
• Tasmania - 220 schools
• Western Australia - 858 schools
• Durham Board of Education - 140 schools

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