The School System Transformation Process: Guidance for Paradigm Change in School Districts

Abstract

The School System Transformation (SST) Process is process guidance for school districts to transform from the teacher-centered Industrial-Age paradigm to the learner-centered Knowledge-Age paradigm of education. It is heavily based on systems thinking and takes an “ideal design” approach (Banathy. Systems design of education: A journey to create the future. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 1991) to system transformation. It does not attempt to say what the information-age paradigm should be like but instead offers guidance for a process whereby the stakeholders in an educational system build consensus on what their system should be like and then engage in steps to realize that vision. This chapter describes the context and need for the SST Process, the values and core ideas or principles that underlie it, its sequential guidance for the transformation process, the activities that should be continuously addressed during the process, and suggestions for what leaders should and should not do.

Criteria for Selecting a School District

10 = Outstanding readiness!

5 = Requires a lot of work before a successful systemic change effort can begin

0 = No signs of life

	A. Their need and purpose for change Do they recognize the need for systemic change? If so:  Why do they think they need systemic change?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of their reasons?  Are there any factors that make them hesitant to engage in systemic change? Some reasons are stronger than others, such as a concern that their children’s needs or their community’s needs are not being met by the schools. Weaker reasons include that everyone else is restructuring or it’s a good way to get grant moneys. If a district feels that their schools are already doing a fine job and they want to “keep on the cutting edge,” they may lack the will to take risks and engage in systemic change.
	B. Commitment to change History: How much money has been spent on change in the last 5 years? What types of professional development efforts have occurred? What were the driving forces for these expenditures and efforts? Future: How much time are the board and superintendent willing to commit to you? Are the board and administration willing to commit hard money to the change effort? Are they willing to suspend current change efforts to provide the necessary space and resources? Are they willing to go to the public to ask for support? A systemic change effort is very time consuming, threatening, and often discouraging. Strong support and encouragement from the leadership are essential to sustain the effort. Commitment to professional development may be one indicator of such support and encouragement, depending on the nature of the professional development. Willingness of the leadership to take risks and not punish “failures” is also important.
	C. Scope of the change effort Are they interested in a district-wide effort or just school-based efforts? A school-based effort, if it is indeed systemic, will require changes on the district level for it to succeed and endure. This will likely mean changes in vo-tech, special education, and alternative education programs, as well as regular or general education. Are they willing to engage in a long-term effort? Systemic change requires time – a lot of it! If they are looking for a quick fix, you have a problem.
	D. Flexibility of the board and administration How willing are they to engage in negotiations for release time for professionals? It is not as important that they be willing to give release time right away, as it is for them to be willing to negotiate about the idea. How willing are they to engage students and community people in the change effort? Such willingness is a reflection of their values about leadership and authority. Will they be willing to allow shared decision making? Do they view leadership as helping or controlling? Are they willing to experiment with changes and forgive “failures”? Risk-taking is essential to a systemic change effort, and with risks inevitably come some “failures.” To be willing to undertake risks, teachers and others will need the confidence that they will be supported, not criticized, in the face of failures. How are problems handled? How will they be handled in your effort? Similarly, problems are inevitable in the change process. Have problems traditionally been handled by casting blame or by providing collaboration and support to overcome them? How willing are they to examine current district policy and develop/implement new policies aligned with a systemic change effort? This will clear the way for entering into a systemic change process and be a visible statement of priority and commitment. Potential problems: Board members and superintendents may have a tendency to not state unequivocally what their positions are on these issues, leaving the door open for them to act later in ways that are detrimental to the change effort.
	E. Attitude toward you How willing are the school board and superintendent to allow you to become a part of their school community and have access to all people in it? If you do not become a part of the school community and culture, your effectiveness and credibility will suffer. Also, without access to all people, it will be difficult for you to understand their mindsets and engage them in the kind of dialogue that can influence their mindsets and sense of ownership in the process. How well do you get along with the key leaders (e.g., board, superintendent, union leadership, business leaders)? If you do not get along well personally with the key leaders, it will be difficult to have the kind of collaboration necessary for a systemic change effort to succeed. What role do they see you playing? If they see you as one who facilitates meetings, rather than facilitating the change process, they will be less likely to consider your advice regarding the larger process issues. And if they see you as an expert with preformed solutions, they may be disappointed in your focus on process without predetermined outcomes. And if they don’t see you as neutral and overtly involved in the process, they may want to co-opt you to be their advocate or messenger. Potential problems: If a personality conflict arises between you and someone else, they will likely not communicate that to you but instead may undermine your efforts.
	F. Attitude toward themselves and the community How well do the various stakeholders within the school get along with each other? Are there apparent serious conflicts that have a history? How well do the school and community get along? Does there appear to be a strong community involvement in the school, or are there apparent boundary issues and negative dynamics? How willing are the school board and superintendent (and other leaders) to examine their organizational/system attitudes about change and other dynamic conflicts which present serious obstacles to a systemic change effort? Potential problems: Attitudes toward you as facilitator and toward themselves as a school district and community are clear indicators of internal conflict and struggles that stand in the path of a successful relationship and endanger a systemic change process. These attitude problems may not be immediately observable, and a school board or superintendent may be reluctant to disclose the underlying issues for fear of your not coming on board.
	G. Stability of leadership in the community The superintendent, principals, other administrators, school board, teachers’ union, and parents’ organization – how frequently is the leadership changing? The more rapidly the leadership changes, the more difficult the change process will be, because new leaders will have to start at ground zero regarding mindset, beliefs, conceptual knowledge, and procedural knowledge about the change effort. Furthermore, they may enter with an antagonistic view of the effort that could be difficult or impossible to overcome. How harmonious are the relationships within groups (among individuals)? If there is divisiveness within the district administrative council or the teachers’ union or the school board, then it will be much more difficult for consensus to be reached among those groups, leadership is less likely to be stable, and there is likely to be more pressure for you to “take sides.” Potential problems: They may not be aware of, or willing to share, imminent changes in leadership.
	H. Communications How extensive and frequent are the communications among the various groups in the school community, and what are the tone and quality of those communications? The quantity and quality of communication are essential to respect, openness, trust, and consensus, especially two-way communication. Potential problems: This is a difficult criterion to assess, particularly since communication may be excellent between two people or groups but not between others.
	I. Language of change What observable language of change are people using when interacting with you and with each other? Do people seem to have a grasp of the language, and how compatible is the language with systemic change? Potential problems: They may use the language appropriated from readings to convey that they are in alignment with systemic change but still lack the literacy for systems.
	J. Harmony among and within groups and individuals How harmonious are the relationships among groups? Union administration (district level) (e.g., have any contract negotiations been bitter?).
	• Teacher – principal (building level)	• School – business
	• School – parent	• School – community
	• District – state department of education
	A major goal of a change effort is to build mutual understanding and consensus among groups. If there are adversarial relationships among groups, this task is made much more difficult. How harmonious are the relationships within each of those groups and among leaders of different groups? If there are personality conflicts or antagonisms, they will make it much more difficult to build mutual understanding and consensus between the groups. Who does the superintendent (or board) not want you to talk with, and why? And who does each want you to talk with, and why? This reveals antagonisms, favoritisms, and communication problems involving the superintendent (or board). Potential problems: Unless they are severe, problems are often difficult to detect. You also need to be sensitive to what people will think of your trying to get information about this. Furthermore, some stakeholders may give the impression that problems are the fault of another group, when in fact the blame is shared.
	K. Resources and financial stability of the school system How sound is the system’s financial standing? If it is weak, it will likely be more difficult for you to negotiate the release time and other resources that are essential to the change effort. It will also be more difficult to sustain the effort over time. How good are the nonmonetary resources available to you (e.g., expertise, space)? For an effort that is to be owned and run by the stakeholders, the talents of those stakeholders will have a considerable impact on the success of the effort. Do they have a successful grant-writing officer? How successful has the school system been in obtaining grants? A history of success is an indicator of the school system’s frame of mind regarding self-determination and initiative for overcoming their problems. Potential problems: There may be a tendency for leaders to paint a rosier picture than reality if they are excited about you and your approach.
	L. Business support for change in the schools How willing are the local chamber of commerce and local businesses and foundations in general to commit resources to a systemic change effort? To the extent that they are interested in systemic change in the schools, the change effort will be more likely to get the resources it needs to succeed. Potential problems: Businesses may not see education as their problem, so it may be necessary to educate them about the benefits of a strong educational system to them. Or, they may have their own agenda and try to co-opt you and the change effort to meet conflicting needs.
	M. Your attitude toward them How much time are you willing to spend with them? If it is not much, it may be difficult to sustain momentum. More of your time will be required early in the process, but over time you should be gradually making yourself unnecessary. Also, if their expectations are that you will work either more or less time per week with them than what you intended, it is important to reach a consensus. How well do you get along with them? If you don’t feel you can develop a good personal relationship with them, your task will be more difficult and less likely to succeed. Potential problems: It is easy to underestimate the amount of time you will need to spend initially to get the change effort underway. It is also sometimes difficult to accurately assess your own competing time demands. Remember Murphy’s Law on both counts!
	N. Do-ability of the effort How big is the school system? How highly bureaucratized? The larger and more bureaucratized the school system, the more difficult the change process is likely to be, all other things being equal. How much time will the district require of you? The larger the district, the more time it is likely to require. Also, the further along they are in their thinking about change, the less time it is likely to require of you. In the beginning, much direct facilitation may be required, but as you build their capacity for change, you should find yourself working primarily in the background providing scaffolding at a higher level (and working on changing yourself to keep up with the changing district). So the time demands on you are likely to become less as the change process advances.