Conference Agenda

This Innovate Presentation will examine the development of a school improvement framework for a network of 12 non-government schools in Australia. The complexity of this network is evident in that the schools operate in six different jurisdictions each with their unique regulatory and governance parameters. Central to the development of the framework is a broad understanding of governance consistent with words like networks, rules, power, authority, and its value as a central organising framework (Bevir, 2009; Stoker, 1998; Watterston & Caldwell, 2011).

In just three years the commitment and energy of visionary executive leadership and principals has enabled the enhancement of the capacity of school principals in developing whole system school alignment. The introduction of the resource, “School Improvement – A Learning Conversation”, has animated principals and executive leaders to consider how to link strategic intent to ensure improved learning outcomes for students. This process has been supported using the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) School Improvement Tool (2023) which describes the practices of highly effective schools and school leaders.

As the recently appointed Director of School Improvement for Marist Schools Australia (MSA), I have been charged with developing the initial strategic thinking of school principals and executive leadership for the implementation of new school improvement framework. The presentation will highlight the growing efficacy of school principals in the co-construction of a school improvement framework. This includes the development of metrics to judge the nature and efficacy of pedagogy, integrated reporting of specific data, its impact on leadership, strategic directions, decision making, and student feedback to enhance learning outcomes. Critical to success will be the efficacy and ultimately aligned professional learning for leaders and teachers to that end.

Two key questions have guided the meta-strategic processes used to develop whole school improvement and alignment:

How do we create an ongoing school improvement framework that celebrates and demonstrates the effectiveness of a school’s long term strategic growth in learning?; and

How can a school improvement framework and process be distributed, accessible, meaningful, and owned by all stakeholders?

This session will invite participants to engage in conversation in response to these questions. It is anticipated that participants will reflect on their own approach to school improvement to provide insight and further exploration of practice and policy in this critical area of leadership.

Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) is a large, multi-school system responsible for the education of 78000 primary and secondary school students in Australia that was faced with underperforming National Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Program (NAPLAN) data among its students. Determined to make a positive impact on learning and teaching outcomes, BCE initiated a system-wide review of each of its 146 schools using the National School Improvement Tool developed by the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER).

This momentous decision was a catalyst for change. BCE underwent structural transformation, establishing a School Improvement unit and reorganizing its Learning Services directorate for targeted school support. Each school was coached in the development of its own Explicit Improvement Agenda, drawing on insights and guidance from the National School Improvement Tool.

The journey was far from easy, but BCE persevered. Over the past three years, BCE has experienced tensions, discoveries, and necessary pivots. The presentation will provide an honest account of the highs and lows of this period of change, with insights that will be relevant to school leaders and policymakers around the world.

In recent years, BCE has transitioned from intervention to inquiry. The focus has shifted towards equipping schools with the tools to own their improvement agenda to lift system performance. This recent phase has witnessed a maturation in BCE's approach, fostering agency among principals and school leadership teams. Lessons have been learned about authentic collaborative work between BCE and its schools and the importance of peer accountability to enhance professional practice.

A key outcome of this improvement agenda focus has been the imperative of cultivating partnerships in the design of learning and teaching methodologies. These understandings have informed BCE's next steps, which look to the future with renewed purpose in delivering high performance across the system to maximize student achievement.

This presentation will be of interest to anyone who is passionate about improving student achievement. It will provide insights into the challenges and opportunities of system-wide change, and the importance of building leadership and teacher capability to drive improvement.

Objectives or purposes of the session:

We will present a program for leadership training for leaders and leadership groups. The purpose of this session is to challenge how educational leadership programs usually are conducted and to engage the participants in the session, helping us with coherent thinking, active support, feedback, and involvement to innovate future prototypes on leadership training.

Educational importance:

Educational research tells us that educational leadership is important to increase the students’ learning, and recent findings shows that there is a need of more practical training on leadership skills to accomplish this.

The format:

We will facilitate a process where the participants contribute by exploring what we have done so far, and what we should further address. Municipality leaders will present their use of this collective leadership development that have included their school leaders who have taken part in this development. School leaders will present their use of the program and we will present the objectives and goal for the program.

Our submission is connected the conference sub-theme “Policy and practice learning to support teacher and school leader development”. We will present our work through an involving method as an innovate session. The network this session will connect with is Educational Leadership Network.

Part 1: Practical, International Leadership Development (PILD)

The purpose of PILD is to develop leadership that provides leaders with efficacy and skills to achieve more equity and inclusiveness in their education systems. We do this to develop personal and professional competences in the leadership role. Together with the researchers we provide practical exercises to develop leadership skills on different theme. The participants get access to direct dialogue and sparring with the researchers regarding the municipality's/county municipality's, early childhood centers or schools’ challenges and initiatives.

Part 2: How municipality leaders use the program to develop collective leadership

In this part of the session municipality leaders/district leaders, will present how they have worked with the school leaders within their municipality to improve their leadership skills, both individually and as a group. The municipality leaders will demonstrate how they have been on a personal and professional journey exploring new ways of conducting their leadership, and how they have worked on developing the professional learning communities for their school leaders.

Part 3: How school leaders use the program to develop schools

In this section, school leaders will present how they have used their expertise to lead their own schools’ development. During the session they will demonstrate some of the tools they have used in their schools and present the way they have seen change among their teachers and discuss the next step for their development.

The format and approach(es) that will be used in the session to engage participants in the exploration of the area of practice:

During the innovate session we will engage the audience in various activities to demonstrate and to explore new ways of developing leadership training in education.