Learning practical skills for effective & continuous improvement
We designed a longitudinal program aimed to build the implementation capabilities of school improvement teams, and to help them embed habits, routines and organisational processes for effective continuous improvement work.
ORGANISATION SOUTH WESTERN VICTORIA REGION, VIC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Number of participants: 327
Schools involved: 84
When: 2021 – 2023
Timeframe: 3 years (3 cohorts)
Location: Digital Delivery
The Overview: What we did
In close collaboration with the SWVR team, we curated a comprehensive one-year program specifically tailored for school leadership teams across their network. The primary objective of this program is to enhance the implementation capabilities of school improvement teams while assisting them in integrating effective practices, routines, and organisational processes for continuous improvement efforts.
Some of the key outcomes for Principals and their improvement teams were:
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- Embed agile improvement and implementation science methods and tools
- Develop a clear process for leading an iterative improvement journey that can be adjusted for both the social dynamics of change and external shocks (such as the long-tail effects of COVID-19)
- Harness formative evaluation to monitor for early success indicators and make adjustments to implementation strategies based on what is and isn’t working
We also worked closely with the SEILs, EILs and other members of the SWVR school improvement workforce to provide the tools and support to:
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- Develop confidence in applying improvement and implementation science approaches and tools to support school improvement
- Understand the role of an improvement coach in supporting sustainable school improvement journeys over time
- Employ coaching skills and simple tools to help teams refine their improvement aims, strategies and evaluation approaches
Program Components
The Results
School leaders overwhelmingly agreed that this program gave them the tools and systems that would support their school improvement work. Of the responses, 89% of participants finished the program believing that what they learned would continue to support their practice going forward.
A small survey snapshot from the 2022 cohort
(Survey data, August 2022, 37 Responses)
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89% of participants finished the program believing that what they learned will continue to support their practice going forward
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91% of participants agreed they achieved further clarity about their role in strategic thinking and effective implementation
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89% of participants either agreed or strongly agreed that they learned about practical tools to support their work
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89% of participants believed they made meaningful progress on a key improvement project because of this program
Comments from Participants
“Really enjoyed the consideration of the complexity of school’s and timing the project out sensibly.“
“These (concepts) are all so easy to apply in my work with schools – clear and concise and support narrowing our focus.”
“The workshops were very supportive and focused.”
“It helped me to think about the next steps and how to plan the next actions. As a leadership team, we have had very rich discussions.”
“The concepts can be applied to any process where impact is expected in a given time frame. It helps to shape and outline the deliverables and keep me on track”
“The quality of the actual presentation (different screens etc) was fab, seamless and supported the presentation perfectly- well done to whoever was doing that!”