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Choosing Effective Drivers for

Whole System Reform

Michael Fullan

Ontario, Canada

Strong Performers and Successful Reformers

Lessons from PISA

OECD-Tokyo, Japan SeminarJune 28-29, 2011

www.michaelfullan.ca

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OutlineOutline

★ On the Dangers of misinterpreting Lessons from PISA.

★ Ontario illustration★ Advice to Japan★ Questions/Comments from the Floor

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Wrong vs Right DriversWrong vs Right Drivers

★ Accountability vs Capacity Building★ Individual vs Teamwork★ Technology vs Pedagogy★ Piecemeal vs Systemic

—Fullan, 2011

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DriversDrivers

★ 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

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Four Essential ConditionsFour Essential Conditions

★ Intrinsic motivation★ Engage students and teachers in

continuous improvement★ Inspire teamwork★ Affect 100% of students and teachers

—Fullan, 2011

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Key distinctionsKey distinctions

★ Right (dominant) vs Wrong (second tier) drivers

★ Sequence is critical★ Cohesion, not just alignment

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On Misinterpreting PISAOn Misinterpreting PISA

★ You need to understand the basic philosophy and ‘feel’ that effective system leaders grasp—not 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

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Misinterpreting Misinterpreting AccountabilityAccountability

★ 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)

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Accountability Accountability vs vs

Capacity InterventionsCapacity 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

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Vertical AccountabilityVertical 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

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Lateral AccountabilityLateral Accountability

Capacity building, engagement and trust building across schools and regions.

Openness of sharing

Builds mutual allegiance and collaborative competition

—Fullan, 2011

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Misinterpreting Quality of Misinterpreting Quality of TeachersTeachers

★ 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.

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Social CapitalSocial 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

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Improvement JourneyImprovement 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

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Technology vs PedagogyTechnology 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 technology—this is the correct sequence

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Piecemeal vs SystemicPiecemeal vs Systemic

★ Back to the feel, underpinnings that shapes the strategy: continuous integration and cohesion

★ Constantly, deliberately and transparently connecting the dots. Overdetermine systemness.

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Ontario Case: Main Ontario Case: Main Elements 1/LevinElements 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

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Ontario Case: Main Ontario Case: Main Elements 2/LevinElements 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.

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Ontario CaseOntario CaseThe 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

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Ontario CaseOntario CaseWhere 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

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Ontario CaseOntario CaseImplementation★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

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Ontario DetourOntario DetourCapacity to Deliver★Fullan’s ‘tri-level solution’★State departments/ministries need lots of changeNever initially designed to support improvement★Alignment of policy and approach across units- This is very hard to do★Same at district level

—Levin, 2011

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Lessons for JapanLessons for Japan

★ Danger of getting the lessons wrong★ Great capacity IF the right lessons are

incorporated★ Don’ts and Do’s for Japan given their

situation and current plan

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Don’ts for JapanDon’ts for Japan★ Don’t rely too heavily on governance and

related structural reform (roles of govt, prefectures, municipalities, schools)

★ Don’t rely on increasing accountability★ Don’t rely on top-down workshops★ Don’t rely on revision of courses★ Don’t rely on smaller class sizes★ Don’t rely on individual school management★ Don’t rely on check and improve cycle (unless

it is embedded in the day to day work)

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Do’s for JapanDo’s 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)

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Do’s for JapanDo’s 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

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Waterslide

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Questions/CommentsQuestions/Comments

★ THANK YOU★ <mfullan@me.com>

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EvidenceEvidence

★ Wrong drivers don’t work★ Right drivers do

—Fullan, 2011

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Right DriversRight Drivers

★ Attitude/Philosophy: Focus on improvement

★ Transparency of results and practice

—Fullan, 2011

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Riding the Right Elephant:Riding the Right Elephant:Focus on Changing the CultureFocus on Changing the Culture

★ Capacity Building★ Teamwork★ Instruction★ Systemic

—Fullan, 2011

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The Heart of the MatterThe Heart of the Matter

★ Learning-instruction nexus★ Social capital★ Pedagogy matches technology★ Systemic synergy

—Fullan, 2011

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Whole System Reform: Whole System Reform: CriteriaCriteria

★ 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

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ReferencesReferences★ Fullan, M. (2011). Choosing the wrong drivers

for whole system reform. Melbourne, AU., Centre for Strategic Education, Seminar Series. 2011.

★ Levin, B. (2011). System improvement. Presentation at PARCC, Washington, DC. June, 2011.

★ Mourshed, M., Chinezi, C., & Barber, M. (2010). How the world’s most improved systems keep getting better. London: McKinsey & Company.