reforming school supervision - birbhum districtbirbhum.gov.in/dpsc/reference/104.pdf ·...

Module

Reforming school supervision for quality improvement

8Undertaking a national diagnosis on school supervision

Reforming school supervision for quality improvement

These modules were prepared by IIEP staff to be used in training workshops or by individuals as self-study materials.

The series “Reforming school supervision for quality improvement” consists of eight modules:

Module 1: Supervision: a key component of a quality monitoring system

Module 2: Role and functions of supervisors.

Module 3: The organization of supervision services

Module 4: The management of supervision staff

Module 5: The management of supervisory work

Module 6: Reinforcing school-site supervision

Module 7: Alternative models in reforming school supervision

Module 8: Undertaking a national diagnosis on school supervision: some guidelines

The set of modules is available at www.unesco.org/iiep

Also available on IIEP’s web site:

Quantitative research methods in educational planning

Reforming school supervision

HIV/AIDS and education

Using indicators in planning Education For All

Other sets will be available soon.

International Institute for Educational Planning (UNESCO)7-9 rue Eugène-Delacroix75116 ParisTel.:+33 1 45 03 77 00 Fax: +33 1 40 72 83 66E-mail: [email protected] site: www.unesco.org/iiep

These modules were typeset using IIEP’s computer facilities and printed in IIEP’s printshop.The designations employed and the presentation of materials throughout the publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.

Credit photos: IIEP/UNESO

All rights reserved.© UNESCO 2007

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Module 8: Undertaking a national diagnosis on school supervision

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Module 8

UNDERTAKING A NATIONAL DIAGNOSIS ON SCHOOL SUPERVISION

Some guidelines

Introduction 2

What this module will discuss 3

Expected outcomes 3

Definition and focus 4

Suggested outline of a national diagnosis 5

Suggested methodology 13


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Introduction This module is significantly different from the previous seven. It does not discuss the supervision service as such, nor its reform, but rather proposes a framework of how a diagnosis of that service can be undertaken. It would be useful that such a diagnosis precede or at least accompany reform attempts, to present the reasons for undertaking such reform and identify possible improvements to the present situation. Even outside of a context of reform a diagnosis can be useful, as it will allow the supervision service to identify its own strengths and weaknesses. Its intended public could therefore include a variety of groups: decision-makers; managers of supervision services; supervisory actors themselves and officials involved in related quality monitoring services. The diagnosis, which will be discussed here, focuses on school supervision as an institution. In other words, two alternative approaches have not been covered:

• this is not a financial audit and no attempt is made to propose a cost-effectiveness analysis;

• nor is this a sociological or socio-political evaluation of the role of this service and of its relationship with the wider social, political and economic context.

These guidelines are based on those that were used by national teams in several Asian, African and Latin American countries to prepare their own diagnosis on school supervision as part of an international IIEP co-ordinated research programme. It is not the module’s intention to present a complete and final framework, as contexts and realities can differ widely. Its purpose is to offer fairly detailed guidelines on the themes to be covered and some hints on the methodology.


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What this module will discuss This module consists of two sections. A first section suggests a detailed outline for a diagnosis of the school supervision service at national level (or, in large federal countries, at state level). The diagnosis covers five main issues:

• how the supervision service is organized;

• some basic facts and critical issues concerning its management;

• working conditions of supervisory staff;

• the daily operation of the service, including the school visits, reports and follow up to reports; and

• an assessment of the effectiveness and impact of supervision.

The second section offers some hints on how this can be undertaken. This section remains somewhat superficial, as the nature of the implementation will depend very much on the people who will actually undertake it and the available resources.

Expected outcomes At the end of this module, the reader should be able to

• present a detailed outline for a national diagnosis of the school supervision system;

• prepare a proposal on how to carry out such a diagnosis; and

• co-ordinate a research team undertaking such a diagnosis.


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Definition and focus This module discusses the carrying out of a diagnosis of school supervision within your country. In this regard, an operational definition of the term ‘supervision services’ should be agreed upon. We suggest that this term be understood as covering all those services whose main function is to inspect, control, evaluate and/or advise, assist and support principals and teachers and who are expected to do so through regular school visits. The main focus of the diagnosis will be on external supervision, that is to say on the work of inspectors, supervisors, advisers, counsellors, etc. located outside the school at local, regional or central levels. A common characteristic of all these officers is that regular visits of schools is an essential part of their mandate. We advise that in-school or community based devices of supervision will not be studied in detail. Their relationship with external supervision could be considered to enable the reader to have a full understanding of the functioning of the external services.

Task 1

Draw up a list of those services that, according to the above definition, qualify as ‘supervision services’ and will need to be included in the diagnosis.

Completing the task: some hints

The most evident service to be considered is the supervision service organized by the Ministry of Education itself. This service generally exists at different levels and might carry different names at each level. In quite a few places, two parallel services exist, one focusing on inspection and a second on advice. There might also be separate services for specific types of schools, such as private schools. In most countries this will be the main, if not the only service to be considered. In a few countries, however, it is not impossible that in addition local authorities will have organized their own supervision services. Some other countries have important private education providers, such as religious groups, who organize their own inspection and might therefore need to be examined.


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Suggested outline of a national diagnosis This first part of the module offers a detailed description of what could be the content of a national diagnosis of school supervision.

Background

This section explains the objectives of this diagnosis, who took the initiative for its preparation, who was involved in it and how it was undertaken. It also explains the definition of ‘supervision’ used throughout the document.

Introduction

This introduction may be very brief. Its objective is to give some background information about the education system that is essential for understanding the diagnosis of the supervision structures. In particular, it may contain concise data and comments about the following items: (1) education structure, level of expansion, financial situation; and (2) quality issues and improvement policies.

Chapter I General overview of supervision structures This chapter will present an overview of the supervision structures that, according to the criteria identified above, will form the main focus of the diagnosis. A broader perspective will be adopted though in section I.5.

1. Historical background

A brief indication about the origin of supervision structures in the country: When were they created? What were the main stages of their development? What were the most recent reforms, if any?

2. The overall structure of supervision

Presentation of the different services in charge of various aspects of supervision at different levels of decision-making (central, regional, district): What are these services? Where are they located (within which ministries) and at what levels? How do they relate to each other? Indicate, if applicable, the differences between supervision of public and private education: do distinct services exist? Who is responsible for supervising private schools? Description of the internal structure: how is supervision structured at the central, provincial and district levels? Is it organized by levels of education, by subject area? Show the hierarchical relationships of the different staff employed. Include organizational charts to illustrate your presentation. Indicate precise titles of different services and personnel, using the original terminology. Where necessary, refer to a glossary, to be put in annex, which explains the meaning of these terms and of any acronyms used. Highlight the status and authority of the


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different services. Are they semi-autonomous, autonomous, private? To whom are they accountable? Do they have executive or advisory powers?

3. Official functions of the different services

In this section, more details will be given on the official functions of each of the services presented in the previous section. Describe in particular if their functions relate more to supervision and control or to advice. Precise job descriptions could be added in annex, if available. This presentation should not only list the official functions of the respective services, but also indicate the logic in the distribution of responsibilities between them, highlighting complementarities and possible overlaps.

4. Relations with other pedagogical services

As mentioned in Module 1, external supervision is only one important component of the different services explicitly aiming at improving pedagogical practices in the classroom. Among the other services, one can mention pedagogical research services, teacher training institutions, curriculum centres, evaluation units, etc. In this section, a brief picture should be presented of how officers in charge of external supervision relate to the specific services in charge of the following support activities:

• teacher pre-service and in-service training;

• pedagogical research;

• curriculum development and implementation; and

• examination and testing.

It is not necessary to give a presentation of these different services. The central question here is: what is the role played by different categories of supervisors in relation to the above-mentioned functions?

5. Classical supervision services within a broader perspective: school-site supervision

As mentioned in several preceding modules, there has been a recent tendency in many countries to devolve some supervision tasks to the school level in order to make the whole monitoring process more efficient. Some of these strategies rely on actors in school, others on the community. As examples can be given: reinforcing the role of the headteacher, setting up school clusters, establishing a system of master teachers, introducing mechanisms of self-evaluation by the teachers, reinforcing community supervision, giving more responsibilities to school management committees, etc. This sub-section should clearly indicate to what extent this trend can be observed in your country: present a description and analysis of the school-site control mechanisms being introduced and, again, indicate the nature of the relationships between these mechanisms and the classical supervision services.


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Chapter II The management of supervision services: basic facts and critical issues The purpose of this chapter is: (1) to provide some basic facts and figures about who the people working in the different supervision services are; (2) to examine some critical issues in managing and monitoring them; and (3) to offer some information on budgetary and financial matters.

1. Basic facts and figures

With regard to the personnel identified as external supervision staff in section I.2, basic statistical data should be presented and commented upon in relation to the following:

• total numbers of professionals working in the different services;

• average number of schools and/or teachers per category of supervisor;

• distribution of supervisors by gender;

• distribution by age;

• distribution by length of service (if available);

• distribution by level of education;

• distribution by professional origin;

• distribution by the extent of exposure to specific pre-service or in-service training as a supervisor.

These data should be presented for the latest year available, and the relevant year should be clearly mentioned. Whenever possible, regional breakdowns should be provided in addition to national data. Also indicate here whether a statistical database on supervision services exists. If so, where is it located and which data does it contain?

2. Critical issues

For each of the issues mentioned hereafter, the corresponding section should present the official rules, regulations and procedures, and comment on how they are implemented, the main problems encountered and results obtained. (a) Recruitment How are different categories of supervisors recruited: exam, promotion or interview? What are the official requirements of candidates (is any teaching or teacher training experience needed)? What are the criteria for selection? Who is in charge of selection? How often do recruitments take place? Are there many candidates for these posts? What are their motivations for applying? Comment on the main problems encountered. (b) Training What kind of induction and in-service training activities are organized for different categories of supervisors? How are they organized: type of programmes, duration and resource persons? Do training programmes exist specifically for supervision staff or are they combined with training for other categories of personnel? Who is


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in charge of the training? Who attends? Comment on the main problems encountered and the results obtained. (c) Professional organizations What kind of professional organizations of supervisors exist (from formal unions to informal professional associations)? What roles do they play? Do they publish any magazines or periodicals? What is their official status? How representative are they (membership)? (d) Career development What are the career prospects for different types of supervisors? Promotion possibilities within the supervision services? Promotion possibilities outside? Dismissal rules and practices? (e) Monitoring and evaluation of supervisors How are supervisors themselves monitored? By whom? What are the criteria used for evaluating them? Do performance indicators exist? What are they? How are they applied? What role do they play in promotion? Comment on the main problems encountered and the results obtained. (f) Support In general, what kind of professional support (other than training) is available to the supervisors themselves? Who is in charge of this? Are precise supervision guidelines and guidebooks available? Are they being used? Does a code of conduct exist, either in the form of an official code or in other forms: e.g. circular letters, advice from professional associations? Are standard forms available for reporting (if yes, add a copy)? Are they being used? Comment on the main problems encountered in developing and providing support to supervision staff and the results obtained. 3. Budgetary and financial matters

(a) Salaries What is the range of basic salaries of different categories of supervisors? What about special allowances? Are there financial incentives according to the level of responsibility or performance? How do salaries, incentives and allowances compare with those of other officers within and outside the educational system (in particular with teachers and headteachers)? Have they changed over recent years and, if so, in what direction? Do supervisors have any additional sources of income, either official or unofficial? (b) Budget Do specific budgets exist for support and supervision services? If not, through which budgets (e.g. general administration, in-service training,) are the different services financed? If specific budgets exist for supervision, how are they divided between the different services, offices, regions? How much goes to salaries and how much to other areas? On the basis of which criteria?


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What about the availability of funds to cover various operational expenditures such as travel costs, special allowances, etc.? What has been the recent evolution? Who is managing the corresponding budgets? How are they administered?

Chapter III Working conditions This chapter’s purpose is to give an analysis, with examples from a particular region, of the working conditions of supervision staff. Some information, regarding for instance salary levels, is the same throughout the country. Other elements, such as regularity of payment of salaries or transport provision, will probably differ from one region to another. The information for one region should be used as an illustration and to add reality to the general picture. 1. Material working conditions and service staff

What are the working conditions in terms of: availability and quality of offices and basic office equipment? availability of transport facilities? place of residence, location of office? What about the availability and quality of service staff (in particular secretaries and clerks)?

2. Financial conditions

(a) Salaries How and where are supervisors paid their salaries? Are salaries paid regularly and on time? What about special allowances and financial incentives? Do supervisors have any additional sources of income, either official or unofficial? (b) Budget Do specific budgets exist for support and supervision services within the regional and/or district offices? If not, through which budgets (e.g. general administration, in-service training) are the different services financed? If specific budgets exist for supervision, how are they divided between the different services and officers? How much goes to salaries and how much to other areas? On the basis of which criteria? Who manages the corresponding budgets? How are they administered? What about the availability of funds to cover various operational expenditures such as travel costs or special allowances?

Chapter IV The daily functioning of supervision services The purpose of this chapter is for the reader to get a concrete insight in the work supervisors actually undertake when they are in their office or visiting schools, and the challenges they experience. It cannot therefore be based simply on official documents, but needs to build on information collected from supervisors and teachers in one or more regions of the country.


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1. Planning and workload

To what extent are the activities of supervisors being planned? Who is responsible for this planning? Do they have any weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual work programmes? Are they being implemented? On what basis is the work distributed between staff? On the basis of geographical criteria (e.g. one supervisor/adviser in charge of one district), type of school, discipline? What are the norms and regulations defining the workload of different categories of supervisors? Number of schools and/or teachers to be visited? Frequency of visits? Percentage of time (e.g. per year, semester or month) to be devoted to different activities (school visits, report writing, other administrative tasks, organizing meetings)? To what extent are these norms and regulations respected? How many schools are visited, for how long and how regularly? How much time is actually being devoted to different types of activities? What are the main problems encountered? What has been the recent evolution? Whenever possible, quantitative information (even partial) should be used to illustrate the diagnosis.

2. School visits

Do there exist different types of school visits (e.g. school inspection, teacher evaluation, visit by invitation)? What are the objectives of each type? Are such visits undertaken by a single member of staff or by a group? How is such a group constituted? How regularly can supervision staff visit schools? How many times per year are teachers supervised, inspected, assisted? Whenever possible, quantitative information (even partial) should be used to illustrate the diagnosis. On the basis of which criteria are schools chosen for visits? Officially and in practice? Are school visits announced in advance? Are schools / teachers informed of the visit’s nature and objectives? How is such a visit prepared? Are objectives clearly defined? Are previous reports by different staff consulted? How long does such a school visit last? Who takes part in it? What precisely does such a school visit entail? How much time is spent on class visits, on discussions with the headteacher, the teachers, the parents, community organizations, the students, on perusing official school documents? Which data are collected during school visits?

3. Reporting

Which reports have to be officially written after school visits and which reports are actually written? What are the objectives of the different reports (e.g. propagation of good practice, sanctioning of teachers, informing higher levels)? What type of recommendations are made? Are reports elaborated according to a standardized format? With whom are they discussed before their finalization (teachers, headteacher, parents, other education officials)? What influence do such discussions have on the report’s final version?


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How many official copies are made of each report? To whom are they addressed and disseminated?

4. Follow-up, including use of reports

Are reports published? If so, in which form? With whom are reports discussed after their finalization or publication (teachers, headteachers, parents, education officials)? Does an appeals procedure exist, in case of disagreement on the report’s conclusions and recommendations? Does any unit or person have official responsibility for monitoring the use of the reports? Which units, if any, are responsible for acting on the report’s recommendations? To what extent is supervision staff involved in following up on the conclusions and recommendations of the reports? What impact do reports actually have on, for example, the allocation of resources, promotion of teachers, teacher training, curriculum development? How are reports filed? What is the filing system?

Chapter V Overall assessment This concluding section should present a general appreciation of the way in which supervision services function, the role they play in monitoring the quality of schools, the challenges they encounter and any innovations or reforms taking place. It could therefore consist of three parts: 1. Impact on school functioning and quality

This chapter will offer an evaluation of the role supervision structures play in monitoring and improving the functioning and quality of schools. It should aim at reflecting the point of view of both supervisory staff and teaching staff (headteachers and/or teachers). Questions to be considered in this regard are:

• What do supervisors consider to be their most useful and their least useful tasks? Do they feel they have an impact on what goes on in schools? If not, why? What changes do they propose to strengthen their impact on schools?

• Are teachers satisfied with the work done by staff of supervision structures? If not, what would they like to see improved? Which aspects of supervision work do they appreciate the most, which the least?

2. Synthesis of main problems

This chapter should offer a synthesis of the main problems experienced by supervision structures, in particular in relation to the role they are expected to play in improving school functioning and education quality. They may include: the management issues mentioned above (recruitment, training, support, monitoring, career development); material working conditions; workload; job satisfaction; and co-ordination between services and attitudes of supervisory staff.


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3. Present trends and innovations

The modules identified several significant trends emerging in a growing number of countries in the field of supervision. This chapter should address the issue of to what extent these trends – and others – have had an impact on supervision practices on the ground, in other words to what extent these practices have undergone change, and, if so, in what direction. It should also examine what influence these changes have on the quality and functioning of schools.


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Suggested methodology We suggest that the diagnosis be prepared in two broad stages. In the first stage, the present state of supervision services will be examined at national level. The objective is to arrive at an overall picture of the structure and management of these services and a summary of the main problems they experience, without entering into the details of their daily operation. This phase can rely mainly, if not exclusively, on a perusal of the available literature, reports, official documents and statistical data. There will be no need for any original data collection. Some informal discussions with practising supervision personnel (or with those who in their career occupied such posts) can be foreseen. This stage will not be very demanding to undertake, neither in time nor in expenses. The report, which will conclude this first phase, could consist of three parts following an introduction:

• chapter 1 – general overview of the organization of the supervision service;

• chapter 2 – management of supervision services: basic facts and crucial issues; and

• a first version of a concluding chapter presenting the main problems experienced and the innovations taking place (see Outline below).

In the second phase, the actual operation of supervision services should become the focus. Among the questions to be answered will be:

• What is the workload and what are the main activities of supervisors?

• How is a school visit actually organized and what are its main components?

• What feedback is given to school visits, both by supervision and school staff?

• What impact does supervision have on the teaching-learning process in the eyes of the supervisors and of the teachers?

To be able to respond to these issues, more than a simple desk-study will be needed. The collection of information for this phase will rely mainly on two sources: interviews with a limited number of supervisors; and group discussions with headteachers and/or teachers in a few schools. This could be done by examining the situation in one region or district of the country and by covering some five to ten schools. Its purpose is not to arrive at a complete picture of supervision in the whole region under study, but rather to gain an overview of how supervisors operate and what problems they encounter. If school visits cannot be included – due to financial or time constraints – any opportunity should be taken to discuss with school staff (principals or teachers) to gain their point of view. Following the second phase, the first phase report can be completed:


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• where necessary, the introduction, chapters 1 and 2 can be enriched or adapted;

• chapters 3 and 4 will be drafted;

• the concluding section will be rewritten, taking into account the fieldwork.

It could be useful to organize, at the end of the second phase of the research when a preliminary version of the report is available, a group discussion with a panel of informed experts (including retired supervision staff) in order to finalize the national diagnosis.

Task 2

Who do you think would be the best placed people to undertake both phases of the research and who should be the different services or actors involved?

Completing the task: some hints

In the IIEP-co-ordinated research programme, the report of the first phase was generally prepared by a member of staff of the Ministry, either of its supervision service or of its research department. During the second phase, an experienced researcher, working within a national institute or a university, undertook the field research, generally accompanied by one or two junior colleagues. Two ad-hoc structures were therefore created: • a national team, which counted among its members representatives of the supervision

service, of a national training institute and/or university and of the Ministry’s planning department. Their role was to co-ordinate and oversee the preparation of the diagnosis; and

• a research team consisting of members of staff of the institute and/or university, who completed the actual fieldwork and prepared draft versions of the report.


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Annexes to be provided The following annexes could be provided with the diagnosis: Annex 1 Glossary of terms and acronyms used in the diagnosis Annex 2 Organizational charts of supervision services

- overall structure - internal structure of different services

Annex 3 Official job descriptions Annex 4 Standard reporting forms Annex 5 Data on supervision and school staff who were interviewed and/or

who completed questionnaires. Annex 6 Questionnaires used to collect data for the diagnosis.

School supervision services exist in nearly all countries; they have played a key role in the development of the public education system, by monitoring the quality of schools and by supporting their improvement. However, in many countries, these services are under increasingly heavy critique, because of their failure to have a positive impact on quality of teaching and learning. This failure is, in part, the result of a strategic challenge: the mandate of the service outweighs by far its resources, and is also caused by a series of poor management and planning decisions.

Against this background, many countries have attempted to reform their supervision system. These reforms are also inspired by the need to improve educational quality and by the recent trend towards more school autonomy. Indeed, the ability of schools to use their greater freedom effectively will depend to a large extent on the support services on which they can rely, while supervision may be needed to guide them in their decision-making and to monitor the use they make of their resources. While these reforms have met with mixed success, their overall analysis allows us to gain profound insight into what can be achieved in a specifi c context. This set of training modules takes the reader through a systematic examination of the issues that a Ministry of Education, intent on reforming its supervision service, will face.

The public, which will benefi t most from these modules, are senior staff within ministries who are directly involved in the organisation, planning and management of supervision services, staff of research and training institutions who work on school supervision, and practising supervisors.

The authors:

Anton de Grauwe is a Programme specialist at the IIEP. Gabriel Carron was until 1999 Senior Programme Coordinator in the same institute. Both coordinated between 1996 and 2004 an extensive research and training program on “Reforming school supervision and support for quality improvement”.

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