feedback, feedforward, Feedup, feeddown lester.flockton@otago.ac.nz
Tomorrow’s Schools was yesterday’s schools, not today’s schools, and certainly not tomorrow’s schools! Yet, somehow, we constantly hear the baying, “We’ve had Tomorrow’s Schools for 25 years. Surely it’s time for change.” A known Auckland school leadership academic pronounces, “The self-managing school model should not be treated like a sacred cow – it needs to evolve to meet current needs”. Well, it has been evolving and evolving to meet needs, although not necessarily the needs of schools, but the wants of the system! A known Auckland literacy academic told Radio New Zealand last year that “more central control over schools was needed for standards to improve.” Well, those controls were enforced on schools in 2010 with the pronouncement and regulation of National Standards, prescriptive target setting and checking, but improvement has so far proved negligible. A known Wellington schools’ researcher opined in our national daily that a national network of around 20 education authorities should be established and responsible to a national director who would be part of the senior leadership team of the Ministry of Education. “Each authority would have ultimate responsibility for the quality of the schools in their area . . . ”. So, twice the number of the former Education Boards – not to mention that ultimate responsibility usually leads to ultimate control!
Clearly, Tomorrow’s Schools has changed, and changed, and changed throughout the past 25 years, and is set to change again and again over the next 25 years, to the point that David Lange would probably marvel that today’s schools are still referred to as Tomorrow’s Schools. If anything, it has proved a very successful branding for change, yet ironically it’s not so much schools that have changed, but the system that prevails upon them. Equally ironically, Tomorrow’s Schools has become the whipping boy for all who would have things their way. Let’s take one example that clearly shows Tomorrow’s Schools is no longer Tomorrow’s Schools: the Ministry of Education. One of Lange’s central points of reform was a vast slimming down of education’s bureaucracy and major decentralisation of the schooling sector. A “hands off ” Ministry was to replace the Department of Education, with the main functions of providing policy advice to its Minister and dispersing cash to schools. In ridding the country of its 10 Education Boards and whittling down the bureaucracy to around 800 staff, it was trumpeted that much of vote education could be redistributed to individual boards of trustees. Schools were to be self-managing institutions able to exercise much greater discretion and autonomy, while being obliged to respect broad policy guidelines set by the Government.
Literacy and Numeracy Initiatives: vast amounts of taxpayer money spent on creating literacy and numeracy approaches and programmes that have largely failed to show a commensurate impact on New Zealand’s placing in the international horse race (OECD league tables, etc.). ■■ School Advisory Services: effectively eliminated with remaining whittled down services and professional learning opportunities controlled by Ministry of Education contracts awarded to “big players” and confined to Government and Ministry agendas. ■■ Boards of Trustees: changes to constitutional arrangements “to allow more flexible, alternative governance arrangements for new and merging schools, and allow boards to combine where Tomorrow’s Schools, 1988, p.1 this would increase capacity and capability (MOE Annual And so it goes on. Empowerment of localised decision-making Report 2013)”. was at the hub of Tomorrow’s Schools, a point pushed home on ■■ A School Trustees Association that compromises its the first page of the Tomorrow’s School booklet with a quote from independence by opting for Ministry funded contracts that Thomas Jefferson: promote and support the implementation of Governments’ ideas. I know of no safe depository of the ultimate power of the ■■ A Regulatory Framework (NEGs): society but the people themselves subjected to successive Ministers of and if we think them not Tomorrow’s Schools Education changing compliance demands enlightened enough to exercise on schools (no sausages, fitness for was yesterday’s their control with a wholesome primary but not secondary kids, annual discretion, the remedy is not to plans, charters, targets, reporting, schools, not today’s take it from them, but to inform national standards, etc.) their discretion. schools, and certainly not ■■ Collective Employment Agreements that have invoked Government But things have changed dramatically. tomorrow’s schools’ professional standards, appraisals, and According to its 2013 Annual Report, changed working conditions. as of 30 June 2013 the Ministry had a
The institution (the school) will be the basic “building block” of education administration, with control over their resources – to use as they determine, within overall guidelines set by the state. The running of the institution (the school) will be a partnership between the professionals and the particular community in which it is located. Each institution (school) will set its own objectives, within the overall national guidelines set by the state. These objectives will reflect the particular needs of the community . . .
whopping staff of 3,329 (2,569.8 full-time equivalents) based in 41 locations around New Zealand, and 49 new managers joining a heaped chain of command. Lange’s eyes would surely pop! The catalogue of ongoing changes, reforms and re-reforms, both backward and forward, is growing by the volume. A few examples give sufficient evidence: Big changes from 1988 to 2014 The Education Act 1989: Amendments after amendments giving Ministers and Government agencies more control and schools more responsibilities. ■■ The entrenchment of politicisation in all things education with a concomitant devaluing of community and professional voice and values. ■■ A Ministry of Education that has stepped up to become the “building block” of the school system, with a host of new statutory discretionary powers (e.g. school interventions) ■■ Fully blown target setting and data driven systems for monitoring, checking, comparing and publicising school performance on a narrow scope of curricular goals (PAI). ■■ An Education Review Office that has repeatedly changed its review and reporting methods and focus to suit Governments’ shifting agendas, including a dark period of “name and shame”. ■■ Unenlightened followed by enlightened curriculum change: first, Lockwood Smith’s failed “Achievement Initiative” with its parade of new learning area statements and levelled achievement objectives developed by little committees, then The New Zealand Curriculum, developed in full collaboration, internationally acclaimed, but shunted into the background by National Standards. ■■
■■
And so the list might go on. These and other changes are clearly a reflection of a dynamic (i.e. changing), re-reforming, centrally controlled, and highly politicalised schooling system. Tomorrow’s Schools effectively opened the gates for these things to happen. We are seeing much improved school buildings and the infectious spread of computer-based technologies. We are witnessing some weird but not wonderful ideas about the job of teaching and the function of schools. We have a complex entanglement of the good and the bad, the sensible and the nonsensical, the wise and the witless. But whether we still have Tomorrow’s Schools is a moot point. Perhaps it’s time to replace the banner with a more appropriate one that reflects the reality of both today and tomorrow, like “Government Schools” (staffed, of course, by Government Teachers).
Take a deep breath: integrating into a new school culture . . . Helen Kinsey-Wightman
I once went waterskiing in Lake Taupo – I say once because chose to assume he did this to allow him to focus fully on the despite the fact I am reasonably good at waterskiing and it was an quality of my oratory – in the days and weeks that followed staff exhilarating experience it is one I may never persuade myself to came and shared widely varied aspects of their lives with me and repeat. To say the lake was cold would be a vast understatement I have been able to find common ground which may not have – the shock of entering the frigid water took all the breath out of happened with years of staffroom conversations. my lungs and I have never got up onto a ski as swiftly! If asked In addition I think it is critical to remember that all staff to repeat the experience, the memory of the moment of entry matter in the enormous task of creating a positive learning would be likely to bring on terminal environment. My mother was a school procrastination. cleaner for as long as I have been a The prospect of entering a strong, well ‘ . . . every school has its teacher – remembering that cleaners established, successful school culture in own culture and that and caretakers don’t typically receive a senior leadership role can be similarly the email invites we send out for culture is built on the daunting. staffroom drinks or tickets to the In joining a new school be it half way Christmas Concert means that we around the world or around the corner, it relationships between must make the effort to invite them is crucial to remember that every school all of the individuals in person. Whilst the groundsman has its own culture and that culture is initially looked a little uncomfortable built on the relationships between all of who work and learn when I mentioned that I had 2 tickets the individuals who work and learn there. to the school performance of Guys’ I think it pays to put equal amounts of there . . . ’ & Dolls, he recovered his composure energy into getting to know the entire when I added that he might like to community – the students, teachers, parents, admin staff, have them both and bring his wife! caretaker and cleaners. Getting to know students whilst only teaching one class is a Saying this is of course one thing – achieving it is quite challenge I am still getting to grips with. I find it horrifying that in exhausting! To get to know staff I gave a presentation in which a school of 1260 students it is entirely possible that there are girls I used a Prezi to visually introduce them to my hometown, whom I may never individually address in their 5 years of school background, my life experiences, my values and my family. – since admitting this possibility I have made it my mission to say Whilst it was possibly more nervewracking than the job hello and smile at as many students as possible during my school interview, and despite the fact that at least one staff member day. Whilst some days this does leave me feeling (and possibly appeared to have his eyes closed for the entire presentation – I looking) slightly demented I do think it matters!
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When it comes to what areas to focus on during the first term and whether it is wise to make immediate changes there is a breadth of opinion. During my time overseas I heard the story of a new principal who arrived at a successful international school. She came with an impressive track record as both a principal and an Ofsted (the UK version of ERO) inspector. Unfortunately, when she arrived she forgot to hang up her inspector’s clipboard. She proceeded to carry out a full-scale review and visited every classroom in the school, giving forthright and fulsome points for improvement to every teacher. Before long, her unfortunate deputy principal was supporting a stream of colleagues who began beating a path to her office door in various states ranging between tearfulnesss and outrage! At the same time she had to attempt to support her new principal who was more than a little lost in her foreign environment. Having lost the support of the teaching staff the new principal then proceeded to make a succession of unfortunate gaffes. Having never before lived overseas she was somewhat unfamiliar with the notion that she was never off duty as a school principal – particularly at a social occasion. At the annual BWA (British Women’s Association) Ball she had one wine too many and confided in the very friendly woman seated next to her that she had heard that the BWA were often referred to as the B***hes, Witches and Alcoholics. The very friendly woman just happened to be the Secretary of the Association . . . suffice to say that within the school year the deputy principal had stepped into her role as acting principal and when she returned home, went on to be appointed as her replacement.
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I think it is tales such as this one – entirely truthful though it is – that lead people to give new school leaders the advice that they shouldn’t change anything during their first term – some would even say first year. To me this is patently ridiculous – I believe a new leadership role comes with the permission to make change – albeit change that is well researched, implemented carefully and is focussed on supporting teaching and learning – or teachers and learners. My first change was the introduction of Google Calendar – it was relatively simple to do, it made teachers’ lives easier and had the added bonus of removing the giant whiteboard that had housed the previous master calendar from my office wall. Having survived the first term with my professionalism intact, this term I am organising relief. Inevitably, despite my best efforts to dash for the phone, I am sure the day will come when my far too articulate 3 year old will answer the phone at 7am and tell one of my new colleagues that Mummy can’t talk now because she is in the toilet; since this is his area of special interest there is no knowing what details he may choose to divulge . . . time for another deep breath!
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