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Doing Things Differently in Order to Do Them Better: An Assessment of the Factors that Influence Innovation in Schools and School Systems

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Diversifying Schools

Part of the book series: Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects ((EDAP,volume 61))

Abstract

This chapter explores the systemic factors that help and/or hinder change and innovation across school systems, with a focus on evidence and examples from England. It sets out an innovation framework, adapted from (Leadbeater, C. and Wong, A., Learning from the Extremes, Cisco, San Jose, CA, 2010), as a means of comparing examples of innovation and to analyse the factors that influence them. It finds that i) innovation is risky and demanding for schools, ii) school autonomy policies can support isolated examples of innovation, but will not lead to systemic change, and iii) system-wide change requires sustained capacity building within a values-based framework that allows for local agency and adaptation. These findings contradict the OECD’s (2015a, b) view that top-down policy is ‘impotent’ to effect change and also challenges arguments that innovation requires school autonomy coupled with clear vertical accountability and minimal central co-ordination. The chapter concludes by reflecting on how best to balance structure and agency, so that innovation is encouraged and learning is spread. This requires a sophisticated set of capabilities from those overseeing public education systems: stretching traditional conceptions of public sector governance to include systems for vertical and lateral knowledge sharing and mechanisms which continuously engage teachers, parents and other stakeholder groups in processes of systemic innovation and change.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Headline in The Guardian ‘Massively’ improved state schools threaten private sector: Better behaviour and results are attracting families who can afford private school fees, says Good Schools Guide editor’, 5.2.16 http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/feb/05/massively-improved-state-schools-threaten-private-sector accessed 24.2.16.

  2. 2.

    The Design Council Learning Environments Campaign ran from 2003–2006 and comprised several strands, all aimed at enhancing the quality of school design. One strand involved working with 12 secondary schools to design and test innovative environments through a collaborative design process. The author was the Campaign Leader from 2004–05 with responsibility for the overall programme of work.

  3. 3.

    See http://wlfs.org/ accessed 10.3.16.

  4. 4.

    See http://school21.org.uk/ accessed 10.3.16.

  5. 5.

    These headings are drawn from current work by the author with Professor Louise Stoll.

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  1. School of Education, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Toby Greany

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  1. Toby Greany
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  1. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    David Hung

  2. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Longkai Wu

  3. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Dennis Kwek

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Greany, T. (2022). Doing Things Differently in Order to Do Them Better: An Assessment of the Factors that Influence Innovation in Schools and School Systems. In: Hung, D., Wu, L., Kwek, D. (eds) Diversifying Schools. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 61. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6034-4_18

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