* Text to accompany keynote video presentation.
This short paper is to complement the video of students, staff, parents and the principal of Merrylands High School.
This is not an academic paper; it is a conversational piece. It would be quite easy for me to quote a number of educational researchers, models or academics on the factors that ensure a successful school. I have chosen, however, to present a brief discourse with some narration.
A successful school is one where people want to be, where people want and do contribute and where people feel valued, included and know their capacity will be enhanced through their voluntary participation.
How does this happen?
A successful school community must have a values and social conscience platform that extends and challenges its members while including and valuing the individual, the individual’s contribution and the fostering of their potential contribution. Each member of the community should be acknowledged and nurtured as a positive leader. Each leader becomes an enabler for the success of others as learners and leaders. A successful school requires practice that follows belief, a community that has a narrated tradition and innovation.
Further a historical and contemporaneous density of infrastructure and interrelated cascading programs to meet the needs of each student must be at the heart of the school operation and ethos. That is why the leadership capacity of a successful school community is an imperative. Each leader brings a story, a personal history with meanings and unique experiences, expertise and emotions. These are aspects of the individual that contribute to and enhance a successful school. It is the expertise developed and shared and the compassion underpinning practice that creates the art of possibility and opportunities. This is how the change process begins.
At our school (Merrylands High School), we work to identify where, and if, change is required and where we need to maintain or boost current effective programs. Through transitional and strategic change we discard that which is ineffective or detrimental. We are consciously aware however that major shifts in direction, if merged with remnants of a past model may cause serious dislocations and dissonance. So the journey of change is bound by consultation, data, skilling, professional learning and effective communication, communication and communication. Effective communication is the successful lynch pin of any school community process. Consequently, the traditions and legends of a school community must be respected, often revered, before they are superseded. Change for improvement is the only tolerable change. Yet school communities do have difficulty with change.
As the world rapidly changes, it is a contradiction that schools are often the institutions of slowest change, yet has the audience (our young people) who are most ripe, ready and capable to run with change. Teaching and administrative staff may often find change threatening, challenging and overwhelming. However, as the concept of rapid change is communicated and accepted, purposeful change for improvement becomes a norm, not a burden.
Many of our particular school focus priorities are determined by overarching frameworks with examples of ‘What that may look like?’ This approach aims to eliminate the perception of an imposed, authoriarian and explicit change.
What might this look like?
There is a brief video as part of this online conference that profiles our school, and some of our successes. In fact, one of the stories we share is our school community’s resilience, change processes, strong sense of community, family and leadership density in times of extreme adversary. We give the demographics of the school for contextual reasons and a schedule of programs that have been generated by our members for our members.
Our school community fundamentally exits on strong and valued relationships enriched by quality teaching; comprehensive quality professional learning, an ethos of no excuses rather reflection and re-direction; a critical mass of courageous and focused members; leadership skilling, a belief in possibilities, i.e. creating a desired future; a multitude of interrelated inclusion programs (intervention and extension); needs based programs informed by data and quantative information; improved student learning outcomes being central to all we do; a responsive curriculum delivered through a quality teaching framework and a belief that our school community is much bigger than our students, staff and parents.
We are acutely aware of our accountability as a provider of quality education and as part of a large public system. While we report on our progress and strive towards public and school determined targets and outcomes, we also firmly believe that a successful school concentrates on those issues that matter most to our students and community and may not neatly fall within our accountability requirements. We also monitor and enhance our two major indicators – fewer failures and more successes. Our school community has embedded practices of celebration. A ‘loudly’ (and frequently) communicated ethos of excellence underpins much of our language, practice and relationships. In fact our school community and the individual are acknowledged and applauded at a school, interschool, regional, state, national and international level. Interrelated successful and high leverage programs and strategies fielding state, national and international acclaim include our Quality Teaching Framework, (across seven partner schools), our values program (across seven partner schools), our leadership approach and programs, our inclusion approaches (refugees, cultural communication groups, parent groups, special education, gifted and talented), our sporting success, our cutting edge technology focus, our extensive professional learning (across seven partner schools and tertiary institutions) and our wellbeing and management programs. All are in context; all require trust through meaningful relationships, expertise, generosity, enthusiasm, intellect, commitment and leaders. The leaders are from across our immediate school community and across a number of school communities and groups within the local, business and educational community; they include the students, staff (at various points of their career) and parents.
It is not unusual for young, less experienced, mature and more experienced staff to identify (through qualitative and quantative methodology) issues and appropriate strategies in meeting the needs of our students. At our school I believe, there is no fear in presenting proposals for programs as illustrated by our nationally and internationally acclaimed values program launched and co-ordinated (a few years ago) by a teacher early in her career. The values program was initially delivered by students, staff and parents across our community of schools (seven partner schools). Further, students, parents and staff shared the program structure, content and extensive professional learning at numerous state and national forums to all educational sectors. Our program was acclaimed as a lighthouse program. Equally, we have the gifted and talented sports program initiated and coordinated by a young teacher across 10 school communities in five different sports, ongoing throughout the year utilising the expertise of our staff, whilst securing community sponsorship, support from local sports clubs and significant parent participation. I also refer to the parents who for several years have ensured the success of cultural connectedness for students at risk (as they are re-engaged with their learning). The voluntary parent mentors teach our students twice a week. The after school lessons include goal setting, first language classes, history, camps and performances related to various cultural backgrounds. These same parents and many more from some of our 54 different cultural backgrounds (within our school community) have provided authentic and unique professional learning to our staff during school development programs. This has enhanced staff understanding of the life of refugees and/or language backgrounds other than English students through a cultural filter in a new country. The programs addressing the needs of our refugee young people are now extended, including business mentors, individual literacy support, artistic pursuits, pre-service teacher mentors currently coordinated by several staff, including previously less confident staff and a first year out teacher. With support, the staff involved move through the process of learning to leading and learning. Students also initiate a number of programs and processes, encompassing self referral or nomination of others in recognition of excellence through a celebratory merit system or initiation of theme days such as Exo Day, presentations to our numerous overseas and interstate visitors, student developed forums on anti-bullying, roads to refuge and mental health issues or coordinate school and interschool projects. We are never left wanting.
Our State Education Department has frequently requested student, staff and parent focus groups at short notice for a series of initiatives. The willingness of our school community members (often from all the partner schools) to assist and share their voice is never disappointing and always productive and meaningful. I am able to share many more stories with extensive narration. However, I will refer you other sources. Some of our stories are available in such publications as:
How may it feel?
A successful school is a place where we (our school community members) believe, every young person has a right and a capacity to learn; every young person has a place in a public school; we acknowledge we are all responsible for our choices as safe, respectful learners (our school mantra); we know we do make a huge difference through our consistent and wise practice; our school community is a community of leaders and a common language and practice ensures a broad understanding and appreciation of our focus and beliefs. Some thoughts from our members during recent focus group discussions and presentations:
As principal of Merrylands High School, I will say (as I often do) I believe I have the best job! I feel honoured to work with my creative, generous and most capable colleagues in partnership with parents, the community, other schools and our public education sites through a networked system serving the most important aspect of the future – our young people.
What is important, is what our students need. We focus on the issues that matter. Even on the worst days (and we have had some significant events) I am in the best place with some incredible colleagues, students and parents, and I choose to be here.
Discuss presentationReferences
Kouzes, JM & Posner, BZ (1999). Encouraging the heart: a leader’s guide to rewarding and recognizing others. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.
Labovitz,G, & Rosansky, V (1997). The power of alignment: how great companies stay centred and accomplished extraordinary things. New York. John Wiley.
Manna, P (1999, November 17). ‘Hooked on a feeling’. In Education Week. Retrieved 9 September 2002 from www.edweek.com
Sergiovanni.TJ (1996). Leadership for the schoolhouse: how is it different? Why is it important?. San Francisco Jossey-Bass.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ms Lila Mularczyk is Principal of Merrylands High School, in Merrylands, NSW, Australia and also Deputy President of the New South Wales Secondary Principals’ Council.