Moorabool Network Small Schools Conference 2013
Bungaree Football Club Oval
04/12/13
Leading and Managing a whole-school culture of high expectations
Geoff Fleet and Brian Wheeler
Workforce Management Strategy and Support
( Workforce planning and management)
Setting a framework to a support professional development culture in schools
School Vision
Should be expressed in layman's terms, included in the strategic plan, regularly articulated by the principal, shared and reflected in all performance plans.( At Glen Park it is on our newsletter, school signage, student reports and displayed in the classroom.)
Role Clarity
Builds understandings about work relationships and responsibility. Role descriptions should be discussed from time to time. deep conversations needed across the school. The principal should also share their role with the staff. Develop understanding across the school of roles.
Accountability and Feedback
This is a necessary component for staff performance process and for a whole-
school culture of high expectations.
Developing Performance Plans
Have to be developed in May and have to correspond to the ATSL standards in 2014-15.
(We completed a workshop activity looking at principal expectations for graduate teachers and a 2-j6 teacher using the Standards)
We talked about the value of feedback to ensure that teacher's are 'growing'
Also the need to inform staff of their roles and responsibilities. (some staff may be surprised to know about the detail and depth of their role whether they be experienced or graduates) We discussed ES staff review professional standards and expectations.
You need to act promptly to address short falls in staff expectations not wait for formal reviews.
Not Meeting the standards and Unsatisfactory Performance
Anecdotal evidence need to move to more structured audience and observations which can be used as hard evidence in unsatisfactory performance situation with staff.
Staff need to meet the expectations as deemed by the principal using the standards
Unsatisfactory performance is where a staff member fails to meet their duties repeatedly. Conduct and Ethics need to be involved in this process.
The process is designed to help staff to meet your expectations. Termination of employment is one of the tools that the Secretary can use. Underperformance relates to employees are not performing all of their duties and responsibilities. They could be doing their job but not as well as they should/could.
Reviews need to show RIGOUR- defined as being; thorough, consistent, precise,accurate,care,objective, meticulous and attention to detail.
It should occur toward the end of April. It is the teachers role to provide the evidence supporting the contention that they have met the standards. ALL standards need to be met in order to achieve a satisfactory assessment.
Peter discussed the origins of the emblem for our group. ( The Red Ribbon Brigade from Bendigo who supported the Eureka rebellion) and thanked our 2 presenters.
Second session
'Waving Not Drowning'
(Guiding Collegiate Conversations. By Muffy Hand)
Objective of the session:Offer opportunities for rigorous and relevant conversations within the school
'The job of school leaders is to ensure high within school quality and low within school variability in the quality of instruction for every child.'
we are looking for high quality and low variability.
Muffy discussed Marzano's impact on learning.( Their data showed how important it was to have highly effective schools. These schools impact significantly on student learning even with an average teacher.) Highly effective teachers depend on how effective their school is.
Leadership is critical.Highly ineffective teachers cannot improve enough even in a highly effective school.
Day says that up to 40% of teachers can become less effective with experience?After 5 years of experience there is a critical point where teachers have to consider whether they will stagnate or self- select into improving and learning. They will plateau after another 5 years when continuous learners will again engage in new learning and improve.What happens at these critical points? Leadership has a critical impact. Leadership need to help expand teacher's professional repertoire. Intervention could be adding additional responsibilities or that staff take on roles that will expand teacher self improvement.One third of teachers in school needs guidance to keep continuously improve. One ninth of them will never improve.( This research is inter-systemic)
What the system needs is an approach to employing teachers that are constantly improving and fulfilling their roles. Schools need to lead this approach. We need a framework (We have knowledge and intention) that will help us to deliver this improvement.
What sort of performance process can manage ineffective teachers?
Principals need to be able to describe positive school culture by highlighting non- negotiables in the school.
School focus needs to have a moral purpose. We need to be clear on that and leverage that. Values and beliefs we live every day and vision is in effect what we are trying to achieve.The School strategic plan and AIP is a vehicle for fulfilling our moral purpose! achieving our vision and living our beliefs? Project Plans are needed to enhance our accountable performance improvement.
Everything in the AIP and Strategic Plan are non-negotiables. The agreed processes like an agreed curriculum and assessment, moderation are also non- negotiables. It is also a non negotiable that teachers collaborate and not opt out of team structures in schools and we as leaders need to explain that.The language about non-negotiables need to be embraced.
Team plans are essential. How can that be reflected in teachers individual plans. We need a whole school framework and detail/ leverage the non- negotiables. How is this going to work in one-teacher school? Networks can support this.
Some Non- negotiables could be:
curriculum- AusVELS ( Cohesive F-6 narrative of learning)needs to be explicit (Refer School Improvement Plan) Needs to be aligned and have explicit learning intentions and instructional strategies, assessment moderated and informing learning
Staff agreements
Moral purpose
AIP/ SSP
Instructional framework and strategies- scope and sequence with units of work.(E5 is an criteria for an instructional framework.)Schools need a curriculum model and delivery vehicle.Has to be part of the schools strategic plan.Refer GANAG
Professional standards
Informed planning
Positive classroom environment
Health and well-being.
Code of conduct and professional standards ( order 199)
key school policies.
Notes from Muffy's afternoon session
Leadership matters. Highly effective schools and teachers are what our kids deserve. We need to be clear about our non- negotiables in our SST and AIP.
Creating a PLT (Professional Learning Team) amongst our network schools.
Muffy introduced a variety of frameworks to help us to support each other as a collegiate group to implement the new performance and development structure.Don't ask for unstructured feedback.Principal should use an explanatory voice.
Muffy talked about first and second order implications (How stakeholders perceive change) she discussed Bridges Four 'Ps' Framework of a new beginning.
We also studied a framework for a PRP conversation.
it was an excellent session with a lot to think about ( At Glen Park I would like to elaborate on and be explicit about non- negotiables across the school, the further development of AusVELS scope and sequence statements and the need for detailed role descriptions. As a one teacher school without full time staff a lot of what I heard today is not applicable but it was still of interest and may be of use to me in the future.) Muffy said she would be prepared to come to a Network meeting early next year to help us as a Network/ PLT to support the development of a P&D Framework for us.
