Teacher Agency and Education Policy Change

Paul Campbell – (Twitter: @PCampbell91)I disagree.

Why research? Why policy?What’s your inspiration?

Scotland is setting an example (in policy) to the rest of the UK encouraging teachers to use academic studies to improve their lessons…but there may be a gap between

aspirations and reality.

- TESS 13th June

‘Even in Scotland, there was the danger that the findings of the Donaldson review, which has laid the policy foundations for a

‘research-engaged teaching profession’, would not be regarded as a priority by

teachers…’ the report warns.

- TESS 13th June

Why?

Commitment to professional learning and development that has a meaningful contribution to my own development and children's learning and achievements.

Recognition and understanding of wider policy area and implications on practice.

Engagement with the wider education debate.

Share, discuss, challenge ideas, engage with a wider demographic of partners in education.

Share what I see as important and key next steps for progression and improvement.

The Context Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) – Building the Curriculum

Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)

Advancing Professionalism in Teaching – McCormac

Teaching Scotland’s Future – Donaldson

Commission on School Reform

Quality and Improvement in Scottish Education Report

Curriculum for Excellence Impact Reports

On-going work of the National Partnership Group

CfE Implementation Plan 2014-15

Establishment/ Authority Improvement Plan

Implications

• The Journey from Good, to Great, to Excellent…(?)

• The approach, the involvement, the expectations of, the practice and the rights of those involved in the education and learning of our children and young people

WHO?CONTEXT?

WHAT/HOW?

Agency and Policy

Biesta & Tedder (2007) argue that the concept of agency is the actions people take by means of their environment rather than simply just acting in their environment. It’s the actions that are a result of an interplay between individual effort, resources one has access too and contextual or institutional influences that come together in what can be unique situations for each individual.

Policy being the stated principles and actions that underpin organisation, structure practice etc.

Scottish Education Policy Context

Do we currently have effective and meaningful ways for stakeholders, particularly teachers/lecturers, beyond trade union representation, to share and express new ideas and views on systemic practices, and for these views to have a genuine and recognizable impact on the outcomes from policy debates, recommendations and subsequent implementation and evaluation (Boyer, 2010).

Why is it relevant? It has serious implications for the effectiveness and impact of policy change and ultimately how policy is translated into meaningful and positive outcomes for learners (Spillane, 1999).

Policy Development Process

Rationale behind the change? (Dye, 2005)

Predominant absence of teachers in this process, results in numerous agencies consulting on and redeveloping policy in an attempt to guide teacher’s practice in a way that will make the change intended, however due to the often ambiguous objectives of policy redevelopment, inconsistencies between what related bodies advocate as a result, practice isn’t changed, rather, the policy change facilitate what Spillane (1999) describes as ‘local inattention’ – the goal of making policy change fit in or merge with current institutional or professional practice and cause minimal disruption.

ITE/ Career Long Professional Learning

Despite the collective representation of teachers through professional associations and trade unions, many teachers are not aware of the reforms to career-long professional learning and the implications for their professional practice, never mind the rationale behind them and the expected outcomes (Beck, 2014).

Professional Update

New curriculum = new pedagogy

GIRFEC – responsibilities and protocols

New Professional Standards

Masters level profession?

Shrinking budgets/ devolved leadership

…the day to day job

What does literature already tell us?

The lack of involvement of teachers and their understanding of policy development has implications for the involvement and impact of teachers in the reform or change process and thus the engagement in the implementation and evaluation process based on pre- determined policy goals and importantly, the perception and reality of policy success (McConnell, 2010).

Research in the area of policy change and systemic improvement in education has predominantly looked at how well equipped teachers are to ‘make the change’ or make a policy reform a reality as well as how the institutional or systemic context is ready for such a change or why it is needed at all (Bell & Stevenson, 2006; Boyer et al, 2010; Christie, 2008; Menter, 2008; Mourshed et al, 2010; Oancea & Orchard, 2012; and Smith 2010).

The current gap in the research field is looking at how teachers are involved in the early phase of policy development and the implications that has for the success, sustainability and scalability of a policy change or reform.

What have I learned from my research so far?

More involvement in decision making and policy development for teachers is one of the strongest predictors of both teachers’ sense of efficacy and professional satisfaction (Sarafidou & Chatziioannidis, 2013).

However, teachers’ willingness to participate in different decisions varies depending on the context or topic of the decision and their beliefs about the rationale or value of the potential change (Smylie, 1992).

Despite this, what is made clear across the literature is that policy and legislation can often not be sufficient to realize a discernable and sustainable change at institutional level (Mourshed et al, 2010; Nudzor, 2012).

(Today’s discussion – what do we do? How do we change the process from the ground up?)

The knowledge and ideas held by individuals as to what constitutes their professional role, their remit and the impact they can have on policy development, change and implementation, how this is conceptualized in policy, social structures or the relationships between groups within and across hierarchies, and the physical resources and spaces teachers have access to all impact a teachers capacity for agency (Priestly, et al, 2011).

Professional Learning and Development –

Next Steps for Policy and Practice Establishing effective practice at local levels with mechanisms to

collaborate a share between professionals, parents and community partners, devised, developed and sustained locally.

Broader range of communication tools and mechanisms advocated and in place; harnessing the full potential of technology and social media.

Move beyond the ‘call for evidence’, ‘opportunities to respond’, ‘representatives from all parties’ to a model of localised community partnership working/implementation (and interpretation)/review groups (e.g. curriculum, qualifications, assessment, reporting, partnership mechanisms) …with regular meaningful opportunities for feeding back to national groups/bodies.

Professional Initiated

Recognising Potential

Facilitating Opportunity

Trust, Support, Celebration

Effectiveness

Leadership

Management

Responsibility

Ownership

Lifelong learning

Commitment

Dedication

Improved outcomes

Children’s Learning and Experiences

Practice and Achievements

Professional Growth and

Personal Development

21st Century Professional and

Learner

National Education Bodies/ Agencies

Continually growing/inquiring(?) professional

OR

National Education Bodies/ Agencies

Continually growing/inquiring professional

Key Challenges – Practice/ Policy

Time

Family circumstances

Geography

Lack of confidence

Unfamiliarity

With barriers come ideas and approaches that can overcome them. But it takes time, as well as active and sustained dialogue between relevant stakeholders with a practical focus on improving experiences, achievements and outcomes of all learners.

Discussion Point

Teacher involvement in the policy development process.

Teachers/lecturers setting the agenda for policy change.

Lasting, wide scale positive change for the experiences and outcomes for our children and young people.

Utilising the experiences and expertise of all those involved.

What are the next steps for your own context, institution or sector?

What are the biggest challenges? What are the biggest opportunities? What is the next step in the journey?

Why?

We know it’s right.

Our children deserve the best; better than we are doing.

Reconceptualising the learning process – there is still work to do. Not just at policy level, but practically and meaningfully.

There is an abundance of excellent examples to learn from, but how do we ensure people can learn from them and use elements of these to initiate their own approaches?

- Japanese Proverb

‘Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.’

There isn’t a panacea, there

aren’t answers to all the challenging

questions. But there are actions to go with visions we

have.

Reflection.Ideas.

Communication.Action.

Evaluation.Revolution.

Transformation.

A final thought…‘Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939)

"He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven"

from the Collected Works of W.B. Yeats