Evaluation Of A Core Development Initiative

Change in educational institutions is inevitable, and leading by learning is critical to meet the demands and high standards for student achievement. Standards and accountability demands placed on schools and school divisions require leaders to dismantle the notion of isolated practice and, instead, promote and instill more collaborative practices to support student learning. Fortunately, I am blessed to have the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of teams throughout the school division, supporting both division and school level goals. Because of the collaborative and multi-faceted nature of my work, gaining a better understanding of the change process as it relates to planning and sustainability has allowed me to reflect upon my own leadership style and its impact on systemic change. To highlight areas of growth in planning for change, a reflection of my leadership style is presented, followed by a discussion of a change regarding school improvement planning that should occur in my division. To conclude, a description of challenges and potential resistors is provided, highlighting the importance of understanding change theories.

A maintained primary schools. The aims of the national curriculum is to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve as well as promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social,

The idea of change requires sharing with it with interested people as noted previously, including the marginalized whom with enthusiastic seeking to improve their current state of life. 4: 2: 3 The Attempted Action For Improvement Using Langley et al. (2009) & Bryk (2010) Improvement model for the design of action, I continue to ask the unchanged question. “What am I trying to accomplish? This question can be complicated, specifically when you are not in the institution system or the site of work eagerly to contribute change for transformation.

Stacey suggests that change is “unpredictable like the future”. There is no guarantee of success and the outcomes are unknowable. There are certain questions that must be answered during and after the change process, such as the

One could also question the view that planned change is more effective than “unplanned” change. Studies examining the success of transformations have suggested that 66% of organisations fail in their change efforts (Sturdy 7 Grey (2003)

Studies have shown the majority of change initiatives have failed over the last several decades (Kotter, 1995, p. 59) with some researchers findings that over two-thirds have failed (Szabla, 2007, p. 256). Kotter suggests the primary reasons for these failures include a lack of urgency, guiding coalition, vision, communication, unremoved obstacles, lack of recognition of successes, and not institutionalizing

Change must be introduced effectively and efficiently to ensure those affected adapt and so that the benefits of the change are fully realised. Change management involves “identifying and resolving potential problems that we anticipate – risk management” (Young, 2014). During the three stages below the following needs to occur to permanently secure the benefits of change:

Various stakeholders involved in the change, work together to plan and implement the change in this stage. This is completed through organisational development interventions. There are four types of organisational development interventions and they include, interpersonal, human resource management, strategic and technostructural (Waddell et al. 2015). The situation of innovation and improvement for St Mary’s is most consistent with an interpersonal issue. St Mary’s organisational change requires the teachers collectively make decisions and solve problems together. Without the support of one another, it would be difficulty to embark on such a change. Process Consultation would be the best suited interpersonal intervention for St Mary’s.

© Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004his approach to change (Bargal and Bar, 1992; Elrod and Tippett, 2002;

While management is very open to change, implementation of the changes must be carried out by the actual hands-on personnel and is often accompanied by fear of the unknown. As Yoder-Wise (2015) states, “All changes, whether perceived as positive or negative, large-scale or simply, are scary and generate fear” (p. 307). One awareness I have perceived in the ED is just how much influence presentation of the change process has over implementation. In the short time I have worked in the ED, I have seen both support and resistance among co-workers regarding change processes. While some embrace change, others resist, and are set in their ways viewing change as inconvenient and an addition of time-consuming steps to an already stressful environment. On the contrary, many have no problems implementing change when the process is presented in a non-threatening manner, with the facts and evidence behind the change clearly given.

“There is growing acceptance all over the world that the quality of the teacher is the most important determinant of how much students learn. In this context, it makes sense to check that the national curriculum provides the right balance between providing a firm structure for shared national expectations for what students should learn and allowing enough scope for teachers to have the freedom to use their creativity to maximise student learning.” Discuss.

Hayes (2014) discusses identifying a need for change stating that“sensing a need for change and formulating a change agenda begin when individuals notice and respond to what they perceive to be significant external or organisational events” (44). In addition to the external influence of the introduction of a new

There are often significant costs and disruption associated with revolutionary change (Miller, 1982) and this type of change can create great anxiety and

Despite the fact that a proposed change may be perfect administratively and successful, individuals in a school setting break or implement the change due to influences. IN general, changes in schools are imposed by leaders and managements or by external policy changes, change is meant to make individuals to perform, think and behave in a different manner. However, the main reason why individuals are resistant to change is because of different perceptions towards change. Some members’ of the school will embrace change immediately and move on while others will fight change. In schools,

by Beverly L. Anderson By analyzing where they are an the continuum of educational change, stakeholders can see where they still may need to go. At first I didn't see the magnitude of the change. I thought if we just did better what we had always done, we would be OK. Then I realized we had to do something totally different, but I didn't know what. Gradually we began trying some new approaches. One change led to another and another and another like dominos. I started to see what people meant by systemic change. A new energy and excitement surged among its as hope grew and the cloudy vision of what we wanted became clearer and clearer. -Principal of a restructuring high school Administrators across the United