Educational Policy & Planning Learner is able to explain: Change, Reformation and Innovation Plan & Planning Why Educational Planning (EP) The Importance of EP

EDUCATIONAL GOAL INPUT THROUGH PUT (PROCESS) OUTPUT

Change, Reformation & Innovation What is Change? What is Reformation? What is Innovation?

What is Change? Change happens when something evolves whether physically or characteristically into a new form. We say water has changed when its colorless nature becomes yellowish. Water has also changed when its pleasant taste becomes sour. Likewise, change happens when a student improves her/his academic performance.

What is Change? Change happens naturally through biological evolution or it can also happen as a result of planning. As humans, we want change, whether it occurs naturally or intentionally, to benefit us. Therefore, we try our best to intentionally intervene change by planning so that the probability of success that the direction of change will benefit us is higher than if the change had been a result of natural phenomena.

What is Reformation? A planned change is called a reformation. The aim is to improve a situation or condition with purposeful intervention. It involves five major domains; namely human, location, economic, activity, and movement. Since its aim is to improve the overall situation, mostly involving all five domains of change, reformation has always been associated with radical, holistic change.

What is Reformation? Nevertheless, reformation differs in size. Though reformation has always been associated with overhauling the whole system or program, it can take the form of a small planned change such as in the case of a teaching and learning strategy in a classroom. It can also take the form of a major planned change such as in the case of the Integrated Secondary School Curriculum that has been implemented in all secondary schools in Malaysia since 1988.

What is Innovation? Innovation, on the other hand, is a “tool” of reformation. It is used to carry out the reformation. It can be in the form of a “hard tool” like using the computer and information and communication technology in implementing the smart school reformation. It can also be in the form of a “soft tool” such as in the case of changing a teacher’s belief about smart teaching.

What is a Plan? Edward Banfield (1962): ‘A plan … is a decision with regard to a course of action. A course of action is a sequence of acts which are mutually related as means and are therefore viewed as a unit: it is the unit which is the plan.’

What is Planning? Dror’s (1963): ‘The process of preparing a set of decisions for action in the future, directed at achieving goals by optimal means. It requires not only a plan, but also feedback from the implementation and decision making.’

Ackoff, R. (1970): ‘Planning is a process that involves making and evaluating each set of interrelated decisions before action is required in a situation in which it is believed that unless action is taken, a desired future state is not likely to occur and that if appropriate action is taken, the likelihood of a favorable outcome can be increased.’

Then, What is Planning? Planning is, in it narrowest scope, only concerned with determining “what is to be done” so that practical, detail implementation decisions may be made later. It is a process for determining “where to go” and identifying the requirements for getting there in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

What is Educational Planning? Cecil E. Beeby (1967): ‘Educational planning is the exercising of foresight in determining the policy, priorities and costs of an educational system, having due regard for economic and political realities, for the system’s potential for growth, and for the needs of the country and of the pupils served by the system.’

Robert McMeekin (1975): ‘Educational planning is the continuous process of providing information to decision makers on how well the education system is accomplishing its goals and how the cost- effectiveness of such accomplishment can be improved.’

Issue of Educational Planning Shirley (1987:7): ‘One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea. It is, as common people say, so ‘upsetting’. It makes you think that after all, your favorite notions may be wrong, your firmest beliefs ill-founded.’

Why Educational Planning? 1. Demand pressure from population explosion and the increasing change in peoples’ aspiration, especially due to external pressures. 2. Out-of-date, old and complex educational systems. 3. Limitation of educational resources.