REvitalizing networks and New Emphasis in Transfer:preventing and facing early school leaving by sharing solutions

and tools

1st Transnational Workshop

Rome, 18th -19th March 2010

The questionnaire for Schools’ self assessment

Proposal of main k-issues

GENERAL GOAL (BY WORKPROGAMME)

To start up the process of self-evaluation by the side of the Schools, so as to identify the training needs related to the competences implied in the network building and maintaining.

The background hypothesis of the survey is that it is necessary to strengthen the existing Network of Schools, by starting from the identification and valorisation of the role of teachers and school directors representing the education subjects constituting the network itself.

In fact, to efficaciously implement actions aimed at exchanging practises focused on school leaving prevention and to start up processes of cooperation and of shared learning, neither motivation and enthusiasm neither periodical evaluations and analysis are sufficient.

The core of this analysis (ref WP2) is to promote and foster a process of self-evaluation by the side of the Schools involved in the Network implemented.

The self-evaluation, realised by the use of a questionnaire, will concern the competences held by Schools in network building and maintaining.

The focus of the needs analysis will be to distinguish on one side the critical aspects related to human resources’ (personnel) competences and, on the other, the critical aspects related to the infrastructures available.

The grid proposed refers to a Model already tested within different contexts. In particular we make reference to a tool adapted by Claudio Maria Vitali (Isfol National Agency for LLP Programme – Leonardo da Vinci Programme) and published within the Report “Towards a valuable training offer. Evaluation and analysis made on subject able to provide training services in the region of Umbria (Verso un’offerta formativa di qualità. Attività di valutazione e ricerca sul sistema dei soggetti accreditati dalla Regione Umbria), ref. Section II – The capability of collaborations and partnerships development (LA CAPACITÀ DI SVILUPPARE RELAZIONI DI RETE), published by Agenzia Umbria Ricerche (December 2008).

The original source of the tool is the U.S. FOREST SERVICE (Partnership Capacity Assessment Tool).

Purpose and Overview of This Tool

The efficiency of the tool proposed is to use it as a support to activate reflections on the strategies to be planned in order to compensate the existing weakness points or to improve the actual strength points of the schools involved in partnerships or cooperation networks.

The following contents provided do not present the complete tool (they do not imply the protocol of use, specific questions and scoring criteria and indications), since the aim is to share the methodological approach and the main key-issues that will constitute the self evaluation questionnaire to be submitted to the schools target.

The definite version will be developed once that the partnership will have agreed on approach and main contents.

The general aims of the activity is to help schools to:

• assess the strengths that enable their team to conduct a partnership or develop a collaborative working relationship with other groups;

• think through areas that may need attention;

• identify clear actions to maintain their strengths or enhance those areas they wish to develop further.

TOOL FOR THE SELF-ASSESSMENT OF COMPETENCES RELATED TO NETORK BUILDING, MANAGEMENT AND MAINTAINMENT

A unit’s partnership capacity depends not only on the individual team members but also on how the unit functions as a whole. This tool will support school to describe their current partnership situation and to answer questions about the six major elements of your unit’s partnership capacity:

1. Resources; 2. Culture, Attitudes and Procedures;3. Past Experience and Current Opportunities;4. Incentives and Barriers;5. Staff Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities;6. External Relationships.

AREA 1 - Resources

In this area are implied:

• TIME

• STAFF

• MONEY/INVESTMENTS

1.1 Time

• Our unit can devote time to partnerships or participation in collaborative efforts in concert with our ability to perform major tasks.

• Once our unit sets aside the time for partnerships and collaborations, we do spend the time needed for building relationships and fulfilling our commitments to those activities.

1.2 Staff

• Our unit has a "partnership specialist" or has been working with a "partnership specialist.“

• Interested staff members who have the right mix of knowledge, skills and abilities are available for existing or new partnerships or collaborations.

• In our unit, people stay in place long enough to complete partnerships and collaborations.

• Our unit is organized so that if one person devotes time to partnerships or collaborations other staff will not suffer.

1.3 Money/Investments

My unit takes/took advantage from National/UE programmes to support collaborations (actions) and partnerships (creation, management and maintaining).

Indicate typologies of funds.

AREA 2 - Culture, Attitudes, and Procedures

• Our unit works well as a team internally, both on specific projects and overall.

• People are able to raise issues and discuss differences openly and constructively, even with those to whom they report.

• Our staff members believe (or know) that members of the local community (territorial actors/stakeholders) have important knowledge (and ideas on process) about education and training and so they represent useful and valuable resources/partners in networking

• Staff members and managers in our unit see partnerships and collaboration as a positive organisational methods

AREA 2 - Culture, Attitudes, and Procedures

• Personnel policies and procedures support staff participation in partnerships

• Internal directives to support partnerships and collaborations are clear and consistent

• Our unit has good mechanisms for staff to ask for help when they run into difficulties, and staff feel comfortable asking for help.

AREA3 - Past Experience and Current Opportunities

• Our unit has a history of supporting partnerships and collaborative stewardship.

• Our unit is engaged in partnerships or collaborative efforts at this time.

• Our unit is currently being asked to participate in future partnerships and collaborations.

• Our unit has ideas for initiating partnerships and collaborations with others.

AREA3 - Past Experience and Current Opportunities

• .Past Partnerships and collaborations results and experiences can be considered positive with respect to investments (time, staff competences).

• My unit has analysed the collaborations implemented and the majority of the staff is aware of outcomes achieved.

• Outcomes and knowledge acquired through partnership experiences have been incorporated in the procedures and organizational behaviours of the unit.

AREA 4 - Incentives/Barriers

• Our unit has budgeting processes that facilitate partnerships and collaborations (e.g. missions).

• Our unit’s performance measures (targets) allow us to report on our partnerships and get recognition for them (there are internal incentives and rewards that encourage partnerships and collaborations).

• At least some members of our staff have personal performance expectations that include participation in partnerships and collaborative efforts.

• Our unit feels meaningful and useful networks independently from the official position of the Direction.

AREA 4 - Incentives/Barriers

• Our unit is flexible in its approaches and implementation of policies and procedures and, thus, allows staff latitude for working with partners in different ways, depending on the circumstances.

Our unit encourages staff to build relationships with external groups.

• Our unit provides training opportunities to those who engage in partnerships and collaborative efforts.

• The partnership actions realised showed to encounter less difficulties than the ones autonomously implemented.

AREA 5 . Staff Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Our unit understands the social, political, and economic contexts within which our partnerships or collaborative projects will take place.

• Our unit members understand a variety of techniques and tools used to collaborate with outside groups and how to decide which ones to use in different situations.

• Our staff members understand the pitfalls that can occur in partnerships and ways to avoid them.

• Our staff members know whom to include in partnerships, who should come to what meetings, and how to develop strong relationships and rituals that build trust.

• Our staff members are skilled at organizing projects with clear objectives, milestones, assignments, and manage coordination, monitoring and evaluation actions.

AREA 5 . Staff Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Our staff members are skilled at organizing projects with clear objectives, milestones, assignments, and manage coordination, monitoring and evaluation actions.

• Our staff members understand the importance of effective meetings for partnership development and project implementation, and they are skilled at managing meetings (e.g. clear agendas, full participation, and time management).

• Our staff members are skilled at helping the partnership be productive between meetings.

• Our staff knows whom to go to for help when difficulties arise

AREA 6 - External Relationships

Our staff has positive relationships with our current partners and participants in collaborative projects.

• Our staff has positive relationships with our current partners and participants in collaborative projects.

• The majority of our staff has relationships with external groups.

• Over the past few years, our staff has been engaged in partnerships or collaborative projects with many different kinds of stakeholders.

• Our staff has lots of experience developing positive relationships with different kinds of people and groups.

AREA 6 - External Relationships

• Our community and non-governmental partners would say that we are good partners to them, and that our unit assists them in achieving their goals.

Our community and non-governmental partners express understanding of our planning and project management objectives, processes, and policies, and they would say that we understand their views, interests, and constraints.

Our unit has repeated requests to engage in a partnership or collaborative effort from groups that have been our partners in past efforts.