Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Choosing Effective Drivers for Whole System Reform Michael Fullan Ontario, Canada Strong Performers and Successful Reformers Lessons from PISA OECD-Tokyo, Japan Seminar June 28-29,

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Outline On the Dangers of misinterpreting Lessons from PISA. Ontario illustration Advice to Japan Questions/Comments from the Floor

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Wrong vs Right Drivers Accountability vs Capacity Building Individual vs Teamwork Technology vs Pedagogy Piecemeal vs Systemic Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Drivers Wrong Driver: a deliberate lead policy/strategy force that has little chance of achieving the result Right Driver: lead policy/strategy with a high chance of achieving the result

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Four Essential Conditions Intrinsic motivation Engage students and teachers in continuous improvement Inspire teamwork Affect 100% of students and teachers Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Key distinctions Right (dominant) vs Wrong (second tier) drivers Sequence is critical Cohesion, not just alignment

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B On Misinterpreting PISA You need to understand the basic philosophy and feel that effective system leaders graspnot a patchwork of good ad hoc ideas, but an integrated cohesive system of a small number of core things that they do well and persistently

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Misinterpreting Accountability It is not Centralization vs Decentralization but rather what parts you centralize and decentralize and how they work together When you decentralize how do you get systemness. It is not local autonomy that is important but locals working as peers in a transparent way to get results, supported and monitored by the center (see McKinsey finding)

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Accountability vs Capacity Interventions Poor to Fair- 50/50% Fair to Good - 45/55% Good to Great -33/67% Great to Excellent- 22/78% Mourshed, et al, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Vertical Accountability Direction from the center re core goals. Partnership with the sector in pursuit of the goals. Transparency of results and practice Monitoring and non-judgmental intervention

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Lateral Accountability Capacity building, engagement and trust building across schools and regions. Openness of sharing Builds mutual allegiance and collaborative competition Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Misinterpreting Quality of Teachers The finding that student learning cannot rise above the quality of teachers is being dangerously misunderstood. The 30% myth. The big driver is not human capital but social capital. What you do AFTER teachers begin their jobs is more important than what you do before/working conditions are key.

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Social Capital Social capital drives human capital more than the other way around Social capital across the system not just within schools (clusters,pairing,learning from other successes) In all of this, focus, precision, pre- occupation with implementation McKinsey finding

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Improvement Journey Poor to Fair- Basics of literacy & numeracy Fair to Good- Getting foundations in place Good to Great- Shaping the professional Great to Excellent - Improving through peers and innovation Mourshed, et al, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Technology vs Pedagogy Technology has been winning the race over pedagogy for the past 40 years Technology is more seductive than pedagogy Deepen instruction and harness technologythis is the correct sequence

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Piecemeal vs Systemic Back to the feel, underpinnings that shapes the strategy: continuous integration and cohesion Constantly, deliberately and transparently connecting the dots. Overdetermine systemness.

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Ontario Case: Main Elements 1/Levin Public goals and targets Clear strategy, strong leadership at all levels Beyond projects to system change Sector support: partnership, positive two- way communication. Policy is supportive

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Ontario Case: Main Elements 2/Levin Sector capacity: helping people do better. Support well-grounded practices: build on what already works; minimize mandates but work toward quality consistent practice with continuous improvement. Stay focused over the years. Adjust as needed Coherence and alignment.

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Ontario Case The Right Changes Change teaching and learning practices in all schools - Best evidence - Student engagement Reach out to parents and community Build sector capacity and commitment Improve leadership skills Approach curriculum and assessment as servants, not masters Levin, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Ontario Case Where to Focus Think system more than school All schools need to improve Specific attention to: - Low-performing schools - Coasting schools - Priority groups (Minorities, ESL, special education) Levin, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Ontario Case Implementation Focus on system and whole school changes - Avoid projects Create infrastructure - Relevant to the size of the challenge - Support people as well as resources - Ontario examples – LNS, L18 Be relentless about reminders, events, and supports Build research, evaluation, and data Levin, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Ontario Detour Capacity to Deliver Fullans tri-level solution State departments/ministries need lots of change Never initially designed to support improvement Alignment of policy and approach across units - This is very hard to do Same at district level Levin, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Lessons for Japan Danger of getting the lessons wrong Great capacity IF the right lessons are incorporated Donts and Dos for Japan given their situation and current plan

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Donts for Japan Dont rely too heavily on governance and related structural reform (roles of govt, prefectures, municipalities, schools) Dont rely on increasing accountability Dont rely on top-down workshops Dont rely on revision of courses Dont rely on smaller class sizes Dont rely on individual school management Dont rely on check and improve cycle (unless it is embedded in the day to day work)

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Dos for Japan Focus on a small number of core goals (literacy, math, science). Take advantage of lesson planning capacity to focus and leverage social capital. Schools learning from each other. Do find and spread best practice-who is getting best results re improving lower ranks; re improving top proficiency. Work on enjoyment and engagement of students (teacher role, student peers)

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Dos for Japan Do reduce administrative load of school leaders and support learning on the job, backed up by professional development (PD is not the driver, it is the reinforcer) Create a climate and strategy for leanring from prefectures that are getting best results. Build partnerships with parents and the communities

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Waterslide

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Questions/Comments THANK YOU

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Evidence Wrong drivers dont work Right drivers do Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Right Drivers Attitude/Philosophy: Focus on improvement Transparency of results and practice Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Riding the Right Elephant: Focus on Changing the Culture Capacity Building Teamwork Instruction Systemic Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B The Heart of the Matter Learning-instruction nexus Social capital Pedagogy matches technology Systemic synergy Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B Whole System Reform: Criteria All means all Raise the bar, close the gap Individual and collective capacity of educators Precision/specificity Deep student engagement Measureable improvement/results Fullan, 2011

Option 2: Title font colour R- 255 G- 255 B- 153 Bullet font colour R- 0 G - 51 B References Fullan, M. (2011). Choosing the wrong drivers for whole system reform. Melbourne, AU., Centre for Strategic Education, Seminar Series Levin, B. (2011). System improvement. Presentation at PARCC, Washington, DC. June, Mourshed, M., Chinezi, C., & Barber, M. (2010). How the worlds most improved systems keep getting better. London: McKinsey & Company.