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Workshop 7: Reviewing Progress

Audience: All staff and any wider stakeholders Deliverable: Innovative case study Template II

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Prerequisites for this Workshop

• A chosen method of self-review using either one of the suggested methods in this workshop, or your own existing one.

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Workshop 7 of 8: Reviewing Progress

• There are eight broad workshops in the Innovative Schools Toolkit.

• Each workshop provides ideas, activities, links to other resources, strategies and frameworks.

• Please use the resources and PowerPoint called ‘Introduction to the IST workshop series’ for detailed guidance on the workshops.

• Consider your local context to select the most appropriate strategies offered in these workshops.

On-going Continuous Improvemen

t

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Overview

• This workshop looks at some of the review processes that are commonly in use and considers the need for the school to be a reflective learning organisation that invites feedback.

• At the end of this workshop the school will have completed a process of review, extending from the start of the project to the mid-way point and will have already acted on changes to systems as they emerge.

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Guiding Questions

• What systems are working well at the moment?

• What systems should be improved so that the process of innovation can flow more easily and people can have more time for it?

• How empowered are individual teachers and learners to make improvements?

• What prevents good ideas from leading to improvements?

• How much could leadership and budget be distributed?

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Progression towards continuous review

Level Description

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Ubiquitous – continuous and open review engaging the whole community. • School has a continuous review process. Current issues, recommendations and priorities are public and

open to debate. • Data informs and drives decision making and is integrated for analysis.• Key features include learner attitudes and reflections, parent and community perceptions and cost

benefits.

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Integrated - web tools and events to invite feedback from teachers, learners and parents• As part of its comprehensive review ,the school actively invites feedback from the whole community. • Student groups are ‘commissioned’ to do specific research and provide recommendations for

improvement.• Web tools are used for compilation and collection of review data from numerous sources as well as

transparent reporting .

5Defined – the school uses a comprehensive self review framework at least once a year • A comprehensive review occurs perhaps six months after the vision setting and planning phase. • The review involves all teachers and other stakeholders and is compiled and reported on.• The review is either a published review system or wide ranging school-developed system.

3Developing - PLCs meet regularly and use a review framework• Feedback on project progression is in a standardised review form and is fed back to a senior

manager.• A member of each of the PLCs has chance to review progress in person with a manager.

1Aware - regular formal checks are in place so that senior teams are aware• Feedback about how processes could be improved are included as regular agenda items on

meetings.• Progress on projects and innovations are reported to line managers verbally or via form return.

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Suggested Agenda for the workshop

Aims Suggested Approaches ResourcesPart 1 Focus on reviewing processes

1. Presentation and group discussion – quick reviewWhat suggestions are there for improvements?

Playground blackboard example

Part 2. (Re) introduce the self-review framework used by the school to systematically assess its processes

2. Presentation

Either the current self review – if one is in place – or an introduction to self review systems If no review process is in place this session is used to introduce the concept and some example frameworks.

Example self review frameworks

Part 3. Consider the role of distributed leadership

3. Presentation – why and how to distribute leadershipSome discussion examples.

Schematic of decision making

‘Kings Wings’ study

Part 4. Deliverable – Innovative Case Study summary

4. Debate – what is the current position?Staff use the review framework to assess both current position and usefulness of the framework.

5. Defend – what evidence is there to support this?Staff are challenged to support their assessments against the review with examples and evidence.

6. Agree – focussed intervention and improvements.

Where could improvements be made?

This is resourced by the school depending on the specific framework and process they choose to use.

Innovative Case Study template

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Part 1. Focus on reviewing processes

It is important to make a distinction between:

a) Improving the core aims of the school for all learners through a continuous improvement cycle

b) Improving the processes and systems that allow the school to run effectively through review.

This workshop is focussed on point b – reviewing an evaluation process. The next workshop will concentrate on point a.

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Example 1: Senior teams inviting feedback

• School ‘A’ had a long history of not listening to parent complaints – this resulted in a tradition of parents being critical in the playground whilst waiting to pick up their children.

• The new Principal arranged for one wall to be painted in blackboard paint, provided chalk and put up a banner which said; ‘Please suggest improvements below – these are read each evening’.

• Each evening, a member of the senior team would photograph the wall, wipe it and write a summary in one column such as; ‘Lots of people feel the bus stop is dangerous – any ideas for improvements? Do we need a call a meeting to discuss this? Comments welcomed below’.

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What would you write on the wall?

You have now been trying to improve outcomes for learners for a number of months. 1. What has prevented you from moving faster, more efficiently or

collaborating effectively?2. If you were to write one suggestion for improvement on the wall,

what would it be? 3. Share your suggestion with those sitting around you. Is there

agreement?4. Do suggested improvements for problems get implemented or do

the same problems keep re-appearing?5. Post your suggestions on a ‘wall’ or flip chart.

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End of Part 1. Basic review process

You have now conducted a very basic review.

What problems for attention emerged?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Part 2. (Re) Introduce self-review frameworks

• Making suggestions for improvements is useful and necessary but also risky because as it is unstructured.

• Improvements may be needed but may never happen if nobody suggests them.

• A self-review framework is a series of questions that cover all aspects of the school system so that you can check nothing has been left out.

• In this section we consider the best ways to use these frameworks.

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Example 1: The Government of South Australia e-strategy frameworkThis is a comprehensive benchmarking system that covers five aspects for review, each with three strands. Each strand defines the current position at five levels from ‘undeveloped’ to ‘embedded practice’. Teams within schools can self-assess in each area to understand the next steps.#

http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/learningtechnologies/files/links/eStrategy_Framework_screen.pdf

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Example 2: The BECTA self-review frameworkThis deals just with ICT implementation, strategy, use and management and was a pre-cursor to the e-strategy in example 1.

http://schools.becta.org.uk/upload-dir/downloads/selfreviewframework/selfreview_framework_downloadable_version.zip

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Example 3: The IS toolkit review framework

Both the toolkit and each workshop contain self-review suggestions to challenge thinking; specifically in the process of continuous improvement.

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End of Part 2. Which self-review framework

At the end of this section the decision is to (delete as appropriate):

a) To continue looking for a self-review framework to meet our requirements.

b) To begin working on developing our own self review framework.c) To use the framework that our government or region requires us to

use.d) To use one of the frameworks described in the previous examples.e) To use our well established review framework already in place. The

remainder of this workshop will be used to give teachers time to conduct their reviews using this framework.

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Part 3. Consider the role of distributed leadership

• If the framework is very well defined it can be used as the main structure, around which all improvements to school systems takes place.

• Such a framework means solutions to problems can be worked out through smaller teams and not always concentrated through the senior team. This gives senior teams more time to concentrate on the wider strategy.

• This is distributed leadership; allowing local teams to work out their own solutions to local problems.

• This section opens up the debate rather than providing solutions.

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Problems passed up hierarchy with detail lost at each stage

Interpretation, solutions and

prioritisation by senior team

Change #1 put into action

Change #2 put into action

The traditional way processes improve

• Problems are raised without solutions. Even though the person raising the problem may be best placed to solve it.

• Problems are fed through a hierarchy which tends to mean that the lower down you are (typically learners are at the bottom) the less likely your concern will make it to the top.

• Levels in the hierarchy are not empowered to solve problems so must pass them on. This results in poor ownership and a resistance to hearing problems or inviting suggestions.

• Problems are modified on the way up through different agendas, interpretation and communication.

• Poorly understood problems are solved by the people furthest from them.

Problem #1

Problem #2

Problem #3

Problem #4

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The self-review framework concept• Solutions still tend to be proposed, funded and controlled by the senior

team but the need to find answers to questions demands two way dialogue that informs both sides and tends to flatten the hierarchy.

• Early frameworks were concerned with things like computer to student ratios that did not concern opinion. Modern self-review frameworks still focus on process but have begun to strategically ask questions that require responses from learners and other stakeholders.

Review framework: A standard set of questions, benchmarks and solutions

Senior team need to ask for responses and can propose solutions using a common

language

Change #1 put

into action

Problem #1 and #4 turn out to be the same

Problem #2

Problem #3

Problems the school was unaware of because nobody

had asked the question

Change #2 put

into action

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The distributed leadership model• Like a self-repairing system, those with the greatest knowledge of

problems are empowered to investigate, recommend and find solutions.

• The clarity of the framework is critical if all of these efforts are to be coordinated and efficient, without repetition of effort.

Review framework: standard set of questions, benchmarks and solutions

Senior team can maintain the strategic overview and act as specialist advisors

Individuals reporting the problem are

empowered to follow through

solutions

Numerous teams focussed on solving

problems and progressing up the framework. Shared

monitoring benchmarks

Those closest to the problem are

motivated most to solve it

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Example: Radical distribution of leadership – ‘Kings Wings’

• Kings Park School asked learners for their priorities to improve the school – replacing the temporary classroom was top of the list.

• A committee of children formed, did some research and organised questionnaires – one child suggested that the new classroom should be an aeroplane.

• The committee of children investigated this and found that, remarkably, decommissioned aeroplane fuselages were cheaper than temporary classrooms and more weather resistant – they made a written recommendation report to the senior team.

• Year Four now have their lessons in an aeroplane!

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End of Part 3. Frameworks

• What are the challenges of distributing leadership?

• What are the advantages of distributed leadership?

• Why is a framework needed for effective distribution of leadership?

• What was the framework used in the case of ‘Kings Wings’?

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Part 4. Conduct a self-review

Either a) Give a section of your chosen self-review framework to each group

and ask them to agree on an assessment, then seek evidence for their assessment.

OR

b) Distribute self review frameworks and debate which ones would add most value to the current school review process.

OR

c) Continue the debate between tables, answering the question; ‘What should we improve and how should we improve it’. Debate the top three for action.

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Suggestions for improvement

• Following discussion and review of our internal processes, we recommend the following improvements:

Problem identified Suggested improvement

Possible gains and barriers

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End of Part 4. Deliverable – Innovative case study

template II

Use the innovation case study template provided to summarize your school’s key innovations

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