NEW DIRECTIONS FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP- RESPONSE
I have been with the Education Department for 42 years and I have seen a lot of changes in that time but
when I read this paper I was absolutely incensed and disgusted. It claims to be based on research and is
making suggestions with a total non understanding of schools, teachers and school leaders, it can only
been seen as a sad attempt to win over voters or justify positions.
Top Global tier Why? What does this provide for the country? At what cost to get there? There is a need
to understand that you are comparing us against countries such as Finland, Shanghai, Hong Kong,
Singapore and Korea that are not multi cultural.
High migrant populations affect statistics, some of our students have never been to school and
cannot speak English
These countries also put a high emphasis on teaching to tests and wrote learning not encouraging
thinkers or entrepreneurs, China has 1% of world wide patent applications! Countries like this
have colleges to help students cram for tests and it is not unusual for students to study 4 or 5 hours
after school and at the weekends
I can speak for Finland as I have visited schools there and I know that comparing them to us is
like comparing apples and pears. Firstly the Government stays out of the education system which
therefore has stability and is not influenced by each new idea developed to win votes. Cultural
expectations of success in countries like Finland are important, schools are run and financed by
the community and therefore the community expects them to do well.
Good teachers – How is this qualified? some teachers are better working with migrants, some with more
difficult kids, others with top academic streams, some students with learning disabilities, some may
succeed in one school but may not work so well in another – a teacher needs to fit in with the climate of
the school, the expectations, the type of clientele, the leadership style etc.
Teaching is not like being an accountant or being on a production line, you do not put in this ingredient
and then that ingredient and get the same result consistently, we are dealing with people. Results are
affected by student background, family situation, willingness to learn, socio-economic background and
many other factors
Improving Quality of teaching
1.
Attract Great people – performance pay divisive and has not worked anywhere else in the world.
2.
High Performance profession – all of this happens now PD 2 hours a week, performance plans
goals, reflection, observation this shows a total non understanding of our system
3.
Leadership – right people, how is this to be gauged?
Q1.
What is missing?
- Any real understanding of the teaching profession, its requirements and challenges
- Any real understanding of the role of a principal.
- Any real understanding and accurate definition of what teaching is about!
- Any real mention of students and improving outcomes they are not just empty vessels that we fill
with content.
Q2.
Priorities – A department that supports its teacher and principals, that recognises that teaching is a
very difficult but rewarding profession. They also need to recognise that Victoria’s results have
been consistently high and that our system is well respected in the world.
What is needed is a department that provides educational leadership and direction and a real
understanding of the work at hand. Sitting for nearly 2 years in limbo waiting for direction has
been a disgrace and by what is included in this paper we now have a feeling that the monkeys are
running the Zoo!
Previous leaders created real professional dialogue and rigger and knew what needed to be done to
improve the profession.
Q3.
Effort not directed – This paper is totally ill informed and is full of simplistic ideas that will have
very little affect apart from totally disillusioning teachers and principals further. It is obvious that
its real purpose is to totally dismantle the government system.
What we actually need is a review of this government’s performance up to now – staff in limbo, no clear
direction, sackings, deficits in schools, a high performing system left on the brink of disintegration.
2. Attract great people –Finland – testing aptitude etc.
Cultural difference - Schools run by community not government
- Truancy, migrants, difficult students not large percentage
- Teaching has a high status, Australians including the government are teacher
bashers and do not recognise our skills and contributions.
- Improving salaries – where does our government sit?
Deep Content Knowledge –This is old thinking content can be gained on the internet etc
The workers of tomorrow – think outside the box find and work as part of teams etc.
Perceptions of teaching – One percent high achievers choose it.
Why? – really hard job, long hours, lack of community support, poorly paid
Differentiated remuneration – divisive
Flexible work options are here now – but often they have a great effect on student results and school
morale as leave, part timers etc. affect all of the school
Teacher Training – all recent graduates have been good teachers and are well supported
High quality from overseas
What a disgrace! – look at present unemployment levels why would you even consider it.
Teachers need to understand culture, demographic and types of learners, can they speak English, do they
expect kids to sit quietly in rows etc. Let principals and practising teachers have more say in training.
Regulatory Environment
Debasing/Offensive/Frightening
Having a Law degree and the ability to teach English is like saying an Engineer can be a Pilot.
Potential Actions – This assumes high quality candidates, top academic performers are good teachers this
is quite often not the case. The crux of being a good teacher is high quality interactions with students.
Again no real understanding of what it is to be a teacher.
Academic results, experience in another field does not equal high quality candidates lets put some of
these into the classroom to see how they survive.
We manage people not content
We do not fill empty vessels.
Incentives – wages and facilities private schools – great attraction!
Raise Bar – Masters Degree – does not equate to good teachers
Pre-Service - never open up to outside providers – we want Australian teachers for our kids and jobs.
Focus on core skills – Do you know what they are?
What top tier do – professional collaboration, provide feedback, formative assessment, teacher appraisal.
This is what we do now?
Jointly plan and teach and provide feedback, done now but put at risk by performance pay.
Expert facilitators – This was being done by teaching and learning coaches who have recently been
sacked.
All of this section is done now so these comments show a further lack of understanding
Benefit from 11 weeks non attendance – When staff are usually completing school work, planning next
term or years work, liaising with others, cross marking, undergoing self funded PD, teaching year 11 and
12 classes and regaining sanity. I often tell staff to go home and have a holiday.
Effective PD is happening now. Who have you spoken to? – The majority of schools, work with data,
feedback, observation, appraisal. Our staff undergo 2 hours a week PD plus 2 curriculum days, peer
observations and individual outside of school PD sessions.
Progress to next pay scale – This suggests current system poorly implemented or perhaps the majority are
doing a good job!
Vic Rewarding Teaching Excellence model trials
schools withdrew
staff receiving bonuses guilty and therefore did not tell others
divisive
Unsatisfactory Performance – the process does need to be easier, if the process is put in place teachers
appeal to the merit board or go off on indefinite sick leave at the schools expense, courts also often pay
out compensation. Currently there is no protection for Principals.
Elevate role of leadership – all that is mentioned is being done now we have mentors, leadership
programs and across network responsibilities etc.
Applicants for school leadership positions from a range of professions not just teaching this is an insulting
suggestion.
No teachers on selection panel –Teachers actually understand the role of the principal much better than
the council members who are often non-professional people with a limited understanding. Just because
you are a parent does not equip you as the expert! Does the tea lady at BHP elect the Board members?
Evaluation of performance is continual – staff, parent opinion, student attitudes to school, VCE results,
workcover claims, complaints to regional office, falling numbers etc – data from reviews such as 360o are
subjective and do not necessarily transfer to sound leadership
Performance Reviews are in place now.
Most of “what Victoria is doing” has been happening for years – the support of the regional office in
previous initiatives has been great and had now been downgraded.
Potential Actions
In the paper there is the comment that “principals must take responsibility for the organisation of
teaching” A principal is responsible as the educational leader of a school, they need to understand current
educational trends, staff constraints, resources need to support educational trends etc. this will not come
from a non-teacher.
I am greatly concerned about the future of education in Victoria unless we get someone in charge who
actually knows the role that principals and teachers play and who is willing to support them in what is
becoming a more and more difficult profession then the future of our children looks bleak.
Maree Vinocuroff
Principal Patterson River Secondary College