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Newsletter September 2016
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Welcome
All school principals have the wish to implement school improvement processes, but many do not have the time and human resources to make this process effective. Improving Schools Australia can provide you with the individualised assistance and guidance you need.
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Principals enriched by new perspectives
How does a principal aspirant stand out from the pack? It is a provocative question for those leaders wanting to show unique leadership difference within the boundaries of a system and sector, and the expectations of a parent community.
One way is to look at leadership and client delivery (teaching and learning) through the lenses of specialists from outside the school fence. Mentors and networks from outside the school/system whirlpool can bring freshness and innovative thinking that can enrich principal leadership.
Contact us if you would like to know more.
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Gradual release of responsibility
Many schools are choosing to use Fisher and Frey's Gradual release of responsibility as a pedagogical tool in classrooms. This video will help teachers to gain an understanding of this approach.
(If you would like a professional development activity for use with this video link please visit our website. The video is 13:30 minutes. The workshop plan is for a 40 minute workshop.)
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Gradual Release of Responsibility
Published on May 11, 2013
Doug Fisher describes the aspects or components of gradual release of responsibility.
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Feedback for teachers the key to lifting teaching standards
The 2011 Grattan Institute report, Better Teacher Appraisal and Feedback: Improving Performance, interviewed principals and teachers from about 50 schools and found that if teachers received better feedback and appraisals, their effectiveness could rise by up to 30 per cent.
"The evidence is very clear that constructive feedback for teachers is by far and away the biggest impact on student learning than any government policy," Grattan's director of school education Ben Jensen says.
But what does this mean? This article on Slideshare provides very useful information and advice.
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Partnerships: Realising potential
 For schools and businesses to partner effectively, they need the knowledge, skills and confidence to approach potential partners, articulate the benefits of their involvement, communicate effectively, identify shared needs, develop mutual understanding, negotiate agreements and build institutional engagement.
Within schools, teachers often carry out the day-to-day work of relationship management, but principals also play a vital role. Both need skills in relationship management—not just to collaborate with business, but also to be more effective in partnerships with parents and the community.
Realising Potential: Businesses Helping Schools to Develop Australia’s Future (Business-School Connections Roundtable)
Read More
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Student wellbeing
Teachers and school leaders would be acutely aware that the wellbeing of students is now of increasing importance in schools. For those involved in the pastoral care of students, planning in the wellbeing space should include an understanding of current research.
The Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing provides (Young Minds Matter) published in August 2015, found that, among many things, 40 percent of parents and carers reported that a school staff member was responsible for identifying that their child might need support for emotional or behavioural problems; and that 14.2% of 12-17 year olds had used school support services, with individual counseling most common. These results provide support for the position of schools being well placed for providing both prevention and targeted early intervention for young people. You can read the full report here.
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Three rules to spark learning
(Ted.com Ramsey Musaliam)
It took a life-threatening condition to jolt chemistry teacher Ramsey Musallam out of ten years of "pseudo-teaching" to understand the true role of the educator: to cultivate curiosity. In a fun and personal talk, Musallam gives 3 rules to spark imagination and learning, and get students excited about how the world works.
This short video link provides a stimulus to pedagogical conversations in a school. (If you would like a free professional development activity for this video link please visit our website to download.)
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3 rules to spark learning
TED Talks Education · 6:29 · Filmed Apr 2013
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School governance
Quality governance practices in schools are required to be robust and often these requirements are more onerous than those of for-profit boards.
The provision of continual professional development for school councils in this critical area of responsibility cannot be underestimated. Some present hot topics include those of the role and responsibilities of the director, legal implications of directorship, effective monitoring of Principal/CEO, setting the risk appetite, role of strategy formulation, risk management for directors, policy formulation, financial sustainability, compliance, school performance monitoring. For further detailed information on this topic of governance for not-for-profit organisation visit here.
If you have a need, we can assist you in your school governance processes.
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Our services
All school principals have the wish to implement school improvement processes, but many do not have the time and human resources to make this process timely and effective.
Improving Schools Australia can provide you with the individualised assistance, coaching and partnership you may need to further improve your school.
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Entrepreneurial Leadership: Finland
The recent magazine of the European School Heads Association (ESHA) highlights the developing role of school leaders as entrepreneurial leaders. For most school leaders in Australia this is a new take on principalship.
The linked article refers to the change happening in Finland.
The Finnish society, education system, local provisions of education, school networks and schools are changing in ways that require entrepreneurial attitude and capabilities from schools to be able to survive and to serve their local communities in best possible ways.
Entrepreneurial Competences for School Leaders – The Finnish approach |
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School improvement is not a mystery. Incremental, even dramatic, improvement is not only possible but probable under the right conditions.
— Michael J Schmoker
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