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How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better and the implications for England

London Centre for Leadership in Learning

Sir Michael Barber

Institute of Education, 22 March 2011

2

The Opportunity

“There come rare moments, hard to distinguish, but fatal to let slip, when all must be set upon a hazard”

(G M Trevelyan 1909)

2

3

Systems at all performance levels can improve substantially in as short as 6 years

PISA scores, average1, 2000–06

1 Average Across math, science and reading PISA scores

2 One school-year-equivalent (SYE) corresponds to 38 points on the PISA scale

SOURCE: PISA; McKinsey & Co interventions database

533497

460412

542525485

440

Hong KongSaxonyLatviaChile

2006

2000

Poor Fair Good GreatInitial

performancePoor Fair Good Great

+75% SYE2 +65% SYE2 +75% SYE2 +25% SYE2

3

4

The strategy needs to change as a system improves

Journey

Theme

Poor

to fair

Fair

to good

Good

to great

Great

to excellent

Achieving

the basics

of literacy and

numeracy

Getting the

foundations

in place

Shaping the

professional

Improving

through peers

and innovation

4

5

Poor to fair journeys focus on achieving basic literacy and numeracy

Theme

Providing scaffolding and motivation for low skill teachers and principals

Intervention types

Getting students in seats

▪ Scripted lessons▪ Instructional time on task▪ Coaching on curriculum▪ School visits by centre▪ Incentives for high performance

▪ Targets, data, and assessments▪ Infrastructure▪ Textbooks and learning resources▪ Supporting low performing schools

Getting all schools to minimum quality standard

▪ Expand seats▪ Fulfil students’ basic needs

Systems included

Chile (2001–05)

Madhya Pradesh (2006+)

Minas Gerais (2003+)

Western Cape (2003+)

Ghana (2003+)

5

6

Following implementation of the literacy reform in 2006, Minas Gerais improved literacy levels and rose to the top of Brazil’s national assessment

86

73

49

201020082006

+76%

1 Poor performance level is defined by assessment as students are only able to read words

SOURCE: Brazil PROALFA reading assessment

From 2007 to 2009, Minas Gerais also rose from 5th place to

1st place among Brazilian states on Brazil’s national (IDEB) assessments

614

31

2006 20102008

-81%

Percentage of 8 year olds reading

at recommended level

Percentage of 8 year olds reading at

poor levels1

6

7

Taking a system from good to great requires reshaping the teaching profession

Theme

Raising calibre of entering teachers and principals

Intervention types

School-based decision-making

▪ Recruiting▪ Preparation and induction

▪ Professional development ▪ Coaching on practice▪ Career pathways

Raising calibre of existing teachers and principals

▪ Self-evaluation▪ Curriculum flexibility/system-

set standards

7

8

Long Beach math scores on the California STAR examinations improved significantly between 2004–09% of students proficient and advanced

5458 59

62 6065

Grade 2

2009

2007

2008

2006

2005

2004

SOURCE: Long Beach Unified School District

5056 57

6167 69

Grade 2

46 48

5760

67 69

Grade 2

36

4753

5660

63

Grade 2

+20% +34% +50% +75%

8

9

The balance of capability-building and accountability also shifts

Good to great

100

33

Great to excellent

100

22

78

100

45

67

Fair to good

55

Poor to fair

100

50

50

Accountability

Professional

development

and training

9

10

Top performance goes together with narrowing the achievement gap as Singapore shows

% of pupils who sat the Primary School Leaving Exam

and achieved eligibility for secondary school by ethnicity

SOURCE: Singapore Ministry of Education

04030201009998979695949392919089881987 200605

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

Chinese

Overall

Indian

Malay

10

11

We know what works in the world’s top performing systems

6key features of

high performing

school systems

1

Make entry into teaching highly selective

2 Apprentice and develop teachers effectively

3

Attract, select and develop excellent school leaders4

Set challenging standards and measure them

5 Tackle failure decisively

6 Data-informed policy at every level

11

12

Top-performing systems are becoming more rigorous about the identification, selection and training of principals

“One of the key revelations of the last ten years is that school leadership…is a strategic issue”

(official in Singapore 2010)

“We are making schools engines for building talent”

(New York City leader 2010)

“School leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning”

(Leithwood et. al. 2006)

12

13

Across diverse systems school leaders have much in common

717278

808182

91

79

VictoriaAlbertaSingaporeNether-

lands

Global New YorkOntarioNew

Zealand

Principals saying that supporting the development of individual staff

makes a major contribution to the success of their school

% of respondents

13

14

They also have significant differences

High-performing group, % of principals working with teachers

to support their development every day

% of respondents

5

16

24

3030

52

26

Global New

Zealand

SingaporeVictoriaAlbertaOntarioNew York

14

1515

There is a trend towards selecting earlier and more rigorously

SOURCE: Interviews

All school boards are required to have a succession and

talent development plan. A number have developed

sophisticated systems for identifying and nurturing

leadership talent including York, which has identified

800 potential future leaders for its 200 schools

Ontario

Singapore Schools are responsible for identifying potential leaders,

normally during their first five years of teaching. Once

identified, teachers are put onto a “leadership track”

which provides them with a series of opportunities to

progressively take on greater leadership responsibilities,

combined with a set of formal training programs.

15

16

39

45

47

58

65

70

74

Formal training

Mentoring

Coaching

Working as a deputy head

Discussions with peers

Opportunities to take on responsibility

Being identified as a potential leader

Learning by doing and discussions with peers are most helpful

Learning through experience

Learning from the experienced

% of high-performing principals citing each experience

as having a major impact on their development

16

17

Focused networks are increasingly adopted to develop school leaders

SOURCE: Interviews

▪ A school joins one of 60

networks consisting of ~35

schools

▪ A school can join any network

in the city▪ Networks provide both

operational and instructional support

▪ Network staff include the

Network Leader and 10–12

team members

▪ Networks are accountable:– Upwards to cluster leaders– Downwards to schools

New York: Networks and clusters

1,600 schools

60 networks

DSSI

6 clusters

17

18

System transformation requires sustained political and strategic leadership

2.0

7.0

2.8

6.0

England

education secretary

Median of political leaders

in our sample systems

U.S urban

superintendent average

Median of strategic leaders

in our sample systems

SOURCE: McKinsey & Co interventions database

Years of tenure

Strategic leader

Potential leader

18

19

For England there are clear messages

▪ Focus and consistency in direction

▪ Consistency in classroom-level practice

▪ Building collective capacity

▪ Revising our standards as part of the National Curriculum

▪ Further strengthening leadership development

20

90 per cent of success is implementation

SOURCE: Michael Barber; Instruction to Deliver

Priorities

Plans

Relationships

Routines

Be clear what you

want to achieve

Plan

implementation

Establish routines

to drive delivery

Create the right

relationship with

key stakeholders

20

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