Achieving instructional excellence

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday September 25, 2023 06:00

Every child in a turnaround school is recognised as an independent entity requiring special attention. A school turnaround programme is time-bound. Well planned and executed school turnaround programmes should mature and show significant student gains from year one to the third year.

Any school turnaround agenda which requires a gestation period beyond three years may be doomed and most unlikely to succeed in making an impact on learning outcomes.

What should be the scale and magnitude of a turnaround programme of action? It should be a large scale intervention designed to alter fundamentally the character and complexion of a chronically low achieving school. The goal is to disrupt and shake up foundations of a deep seated dysfunctional culture. However, there is no harm in starting small.

It might begin with humble and modest baby steps.

There is no hard and fast formula defining where and how turnaround should start and this leaves the ball in the hands of the leadership to begin wherever it deems fit and appropriate.

Most turnaround leaders find it convenient and relatively easy to begin with what might look like low hanging fruits. It should be understood that low achieving schools, almost invariably, are unable to take care of themselves in many aspects. The most glaring examples are inability to respect time, adhere to the dress code and maintain expected standards of cleanliness and hygiene. Restoration to a high performing culture begins with tackling this small albeit important stuff. The physical appearance of a school speaks volumes and can be quite illuminating.

A chaotic state of affairs reflects the overall health of a school, speaking volumes about issues of school governance, the quality and aroma of instructional practices and how learners perceive their school and education. Students who know the value of education and harbour ambitions about the future do not need any persuasion or push to participate in the upkeep of the school environment or anything geared towards glorifying the name of their school.

But those with low expectations struggle to bring their best selves to school because they consider their schooling a hopeless and taxing undertaking, which like a treadmill, carries no one anywhere. An immediate intervention that a turnaround school leader can consider and explore is addressing negative perceptions of students towards their education.

A school turnaround principal is the one influencer capable of guiding students to rediscover themselves, raise awareness on their talents, passions and capabilities. Students with a strong sense of self-worth are self-manageable and teachable. Disruptive behaviour is a common occurrence in schools where students don’t have respect for anything around them including their teachers.

Fixing the outward outlook of a school is an important intervention that can pave the way for the mending of whatever might be broken inside the classroom. A state of lawlessness in a school can also overwhelm and ‘damage’ the teaching fraternity. The experience of dealing with wayward students can be overwhelming especially when teachers feel inadequately covered and protected by school management.

Once guaranteed the support of the top brass, teachers’ morale goes up and this makes them feel good about their work and when duty calls, they could go that much needed extra mile.

Winning the confidence and support of both students and staff is the first project that can unlock the potential of a school. Caution is required when managing change. It is advisable (not mandatory) to start small. Taking cautious leap minimises risks of failure.

There are two fundamental issues informing the need to focus on few selected critical areas. The first is economic and the second is political. Availability of resources determines how wide and ambitious a programme can be. No public school has infinite resources and the last thing a school wants is to run the risk of spreading too thin.

Politics can shape up or frustrate a well-intentioned turnaround programme. Every school plan or vision requires a buy in especially from the internal constituency. Getting the numbers behind the programme is critical especially in the formative stages of the school turnaround programme.

Some audacious leaders may opt for an all-out war against a stubborn, deep-rooted multi-layered culture while the less adventurous may choose to tread carefully.

If well received, an all-war against a dysfunctional culture can have quick and dramatic impact on student learning outcomes. But facing a stiff resistance can result in a monumental failure. To play it safe, most leaders avoid rocking the boat or ruffling feathers as this might come with the unintended consequences of alienating staff and eliciting negative reactions. It is therefore best to manage change with caution. The success of whatever instructional changes a school leadership may desire to implement rest on the support of the instructional team.

Teachers can make and or break an education programme. To enlist the support of all the troops, it is vitally important to carefully walk the instructional team through the novel ideas. Teachers are no pushovers.

The teaching force is a powerful constituency carrying a lot of clout. It is a highly unionised force fully aware of its power to influence what should happen and not happen in the education field. They do a lot of reading and research on professional and welfare matters. School principals should equally rise to the challenge and do their homework if they are to engage and solicit a teacher buy-in.

Some form of capacity building programme is recommended for school leaders to help them manage the process of change and prepare for navigating potential resistance.

From experience, school leaders who emerged from a background of the trade union movement and are also schooled on handling disciplinary matters tend to deal with relative ease the challenge of managing a highly unionised teaching environment. This episode seeks to underscore the value of a cautious approach when managing a turnaround. Total and unwavering commitment to the cause allows the process to gather momentum and grow into a full blown transformative agenda. There should be no room for half measures.