1. Auckland Primary Principals Association Forum 24 June 2015 Cathy Wylie

2.  Sea-change in education  How well are leaders and schools situated to navigate it?  Why collaboration fits this sea-change  What we know about effective collaboration  What role could it play in Auckland?

4. Purpose of education:school has to step back, discuss, decide, fit together values & goals Focus on the whole learner ~ interweaving of knowledge with key competencies ~ interweaving with learners’ contexts Inquiry lens ~ making things more explicit ~ stepping back to see how progress and actions relate ~ openness to change on the basis of analysis NZ Curriculum – collaboration at its core

5. Changes evident 2007 to 2010 * NZC work; more support for school leadership More collective practices that support student achievement More teachers with enough time to plan & discuss work together Improvement in NZC- related learning opportunities in classes More E-learning opportunities More reports of increased student achievement Increased teacher morale & job satisfaction Drop in identification of principal’s leadership as issue for the school (20% to 12%)

6. Promising Trajectory – and way to go

7.  In-school collective work  NZC learning in classes  E-learning in classes Progress stalls 2010-2013

8. 72% good or very good morale 87% in 2010 48% high stress levels 37% in 2010 47% have a manageable workload 46% can schedule e nough time for educational leadership 38% in 2010 16% could access MoE funded leadeship support 64% have enough support to do their job effectively 77% in 2010 Principal morale and workload 2013

9.  Ground shifts with National Standards  Disruption and cutback in access to PLD  Leadership development thinned  Loss of dialogue  Retreat to individual resources & needs  Heightened sense of competition  Heightened sense of ‘reputation’ & ‘risk’ Why?

10. 86% of principals connect with their peers in networks or groups Increase amongst those who do in Attending meetings (86% now)Discussing common issues (79% now; up from 62% in 2009)Attending conferences (71% now, up from 62% in 2009)Provide mutual support (75% now, up from 56% in 2009) Turning to each other in 2013

11. 20% mentor another principal 23% have a critical friendship using structured school visits 20% part of inquiry project to improve practice 6% active part in online discussion forum. Learning from each other

12. Higher expectations  Engagement of all students  Achievement and pathway success for almost all (85% reaching national standards)  It is proving difficult to achieve gains across the board  Good changes are happening, but still in isolation Challenges for school leaders

13.  Increasing diversity of learners  Around a fifth living in hardship  Increased socio-economic segregation  Weak or patchy support e.g., NZC, leadership  Legacy of inward focus of school self- management Challenges for school leaders

14.  Resources for education not likely to increase markedly  Ministry of Education capability needs development obstacles of resource levels and distance from schools and others who should work together  Principals and teachers have probably reached the ceiling in terms of hours they put in – can only work smarter, not harder No fairy godmothers on the horizon

15. We don’t all have to re-invent the wheel We don’t each have to have all the answers. We can’t. We need to see inquiry as integral to teaching & leading NZC vision is for adults too So – what can we do differently?

16. Effective teaching is not a simple question of implementation or transfer or ‘plug in’ of new techniques or ‘best practice’ Effective teachers are dependent on effective professional communities Effective professional communities have moral purpose Effective professional communities make time for collaboration Swimming with the sea-change

17.  An end in itself  An add on to ‘business as usual’  A synonym for consultation  Like the former clusters (most of them)  A rearrangement of the deckchairs – all about structure  A passing fad  Something that evaluation and research will question in years to come  Education’s cure-all (nothing is!) Effective Collaboration is not:

18. Judith Little (1990) Joint Work: “a process of co-participation that entails reflective inquiry, criticism, and learning as integral constituents, as opposed to acquiring or exchanging and accepting ideas, ready- made materials or tricks without inquiry or criticism.” Collaboration at its most effective

19. Inside schools Within the collaboration Policy context Conditions for effective collaboration

20. Inside schools Good experience in working collaboratively to enhance student learning

21. (NZCER 2013 primary national survey)  Teacher Sharing 46% very good/generally happens  Timely Support 39%  Improvement Focus in Work Together 28%  Coherence in School Professional Culture 11%  Useful Feedback 10% What is it currently like in our primary schools?

22.  Good opportunities to learn from others 64% agree or strongly agree  More use of inquiry 53%  Workload manageable 53%  Practical help in PLD to engage priority learners, & parents 28%  Good access to external advice 26% Professional learning and workload

23.  Good leadership  NZC ‘drives what we do’  Inquiry PLD More likely to have these capacity building experiences where

24. Within the collaboration Clarity of purpose through shared focus  collaboration is not an ‘add-on’  focus is meaningful and intrinsic to each partner  focus is steady

25. Within the collaboration Collaborative inquiry that stimulates challenging, evidence-informed learning conversations  Key competencies for adults  Common language of evidence  Importance of theory of change  Build sense of agency

26. Within the collaboration Trusting relationships that build social capital for learning  Respect  Credibility  Tuakana-Teina  Ako  Chatham house rules

27. Within the collaboration Leadership for learning through formal and informal roles, including skilled facilitation of network links  Weaving the net – nodes matter to sustain commitment & growth  Cannot rely on single or few strong leaders  Leadership development a continuing strand

28. Within the collaboration Attention to the connection between the network and the individual professional learning community of each participating school Coherence rather than addition or competition for time  Enables contribution to building knowledge together Stoll, Halbert & Kaser 2010

29.  The leadership of every partner institution is actively committed  Every partner needs to experience benefits of collaboration (counter to roll competition)  Access to external expertise important - check the ‘horizon of possibility’  Embed commitment in job descriptions and performance review

30. Policy context for effective collaboration

31. Coherence – so collaborations can take root and grow well adequate time-frame for initial taking shape progress reviews are valid ground does not change markedly – time & other resources are not diverted by other education policy changes

32. Infrastructure is reliable & supportive Sufficient support for leadership development of collaborations and organisations Sufficient support for NZC work valid measures of progress and school and network quality (NB new ERO review indicators) availability of evidence from other sources and other collaborations, advice & sources of PLD, digital library of useful cases

33. Ensure knowledge built is used - across collaborations -in policy work so we have a true national “learning system”

34. Coherence – so collaborations can take root and grow well A true national learning system Infrastructure is reliable & supportive

35. Principals Call for Collaboration on Education Policy Thursday, 18 June 2015, 10:53 am Press Release: New Zealand Principals FederationNew Zealand Principals Federation Education sector collaborates to lead change Friday, 19 June 2015, 1:28 pm Press Release: NZSTANZSTA What we ask of others we should also ask of ourselves

36. What are the obstacles to effective collaboration for learning in Auckland, and how can Auckland principals best tackle these obstacles? What role can effective collaboration play in and for Auckland? What are the issues around effective school leadership in Auckland? What difference can collaboration make to those issues? What would collaboration look like if it is to have an impact on those issues? Questions for your discussion