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by JVS
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Change from the Inside: Examining K-12 School Reform
Using the
Introduction
The Western
Assessment for the Study of School Climate (WASSC) provides a School Climate
Assessment Indicator (SCAI) assessment protocol and support services to assist
schools in their process of reform. The following examination of school reform
is intended to clarify the nature and demands of the change process as well as
to explain the value of the WASSC SCAI and assessment protocol in that process
for K-12 schools.
What is
In a meaningful
school reform effort, the outcome is a substantive change that addresses real
problems and makes the school fundamentally more effective. Successful reform
means things really change. For this to happen, the members of the school must
embrace new values and new practices. A critical element to the
achievement
of any successful reform process is that the members of the school undertake
the process with a recognition that everything
in the school is related and must be approached systemically. There are no
isolated events. A school is a system; therefore policies and practices in each
aspect of the school operation will affect the success of the efforts in the
others. Consequently, de-contextualized piecemeal reform will always have
limited potential to improve things. Occasionally it results in superficial
impact and improves the symptoms of a problem, but most often piecemeal reform
will have little if any lasting impact. We might examine any particular school
as if it were a body with many parts. Each of the parts must work together. Continuing
this analogy, we could say that the school’s level of health can be seen in the
quality of its climate. Therefore, any school’s successful reform process will
require an assessment of its climate and an understanding of how its level of
improvement will be evidenced in the quality of that climate.
The WASSC SCAI was
constructed with the assumption that each of its eight scales is interrelated. Data
obtained from administering the SCAI will reflect this relationship to the
school. The WASSC SCAI provides a sound means to assess the overall health of
the school, and provides a starting point for systemic change.
What is a “problem”?
“Problems”
are specific to each school, but appear in familiar forms. Problems can be
explained theoretically but need to be owned personally. For meaningful change
to be possible, the members of a school must recognize the need for change as coming
from induced by an existing and priority problem condition. However, the basic
existence of problems does not mean that those inside the system see them.
Moreover, simply because those within a school agree that an existing practice,
condition, or policy is undesirable does not mean they feel motivated to do
something about it. For a problem to gain importance it needs to be perceived
as keeping members of the school from meeting their needs and/or accomplishing
their goals. Rarely would an outsider have success convincing those operating within
a system of a problem if those inside the system do not experience the issue as
a problem.
The WASSC SCAI
functions as a mirror to which a school can view itself. Often problems that
were not evident reveal themselves in this assessment process. Moreover, the
assessment data will typically assist those who examine it to recognize that
each of the problems within the school is fundamentally interrelated.
The Nature of Change
Changes only
occur when a school is ready. They occur when those who can make a difference
understand the problems and then decide to take action. Invariably four factors
need to be in place for a change to occur:
1) an
identifiable problem
2) a
solution to the problem and the resources to utilize that solution
3)
participation from those who can make a difference
4) an
opportunity within the system
Without one
of these four factors, change rarely occurs.
When it
comes to change, there are countless pathways to failure and only a narrow pathway
to potential success. As a result, it is not surprising that most efforts at
change fail. This is true in case after case, even while the causes of success
or failure are rather predictable and well-documented. The sequence of events
in most failure situations follows a common path, as do the events that lead to
success.
Sequence of events in a typical
unsuccessful reform effort: a solution is introduced (often by an outsider or an administrator)--leadership
supports the solution/program and sets out to convince the faculty and staff of
its value--teachers adopt the new practice to the degree that they are
required--real problems are not examined, and values do not change--the new
program eventually fades as attention shifts from it, leaving little effect.
Sequence of events in a typical
successful reform effort: a problem is indentified and recognized by the collective--the need
for change is made evident, defined and conspicuous, creating a shared value that
change is necessary---a collective vision arises among the willing that generates
a clear goal for change--leadership for the change comes from those most
affected--action is taken--results support the value of the change--change reflects
new values and culture--improved practice becomes the norm.
Due to its analytic-scale
design (i.e., rubric structure, see Appendix A), the WASSC SCAI offers personnel
within a school both a clear sense of where they are and where they need to go.
By design it implies solutions and a vision for a better school.
Why Reforms Typically Fail
Building-level
reform is more likely than large-scale reform to be successful at bringing
about meaningful improvement. This is mainly due to the benefits of the smaller
scale. However, most building-level efforts toward reform result in little
long-term change. Why? First, no matter how collegial the leadership is at the
school, most change is initiated from the top down. Typically, the
administration identifies the problem and locates a solution, often obtained from
an outside source. The result is that there is very little ownership of the
solution or recognition that the solution has value. Few of us embrace solutions
in whose generation we did not participate. Second, most solutions do not solve
the real, foundational problems. They usually deal with symptoms. Therefore, no
matter how well the isolated intervention is implemented, the fundamental
problems will keep the system resistant to any meaningful change. Third, most
reforms lack a vision. Vision requires that those involved are on the same
page, with a clear sense of the disease as well as some expertise in the cure.
A policy, for example, is not a vision. Fourth, there is often not enough time,
energy, resource or leadership necessary to bring about the desired outcome.
Vision requires commitment, and commitment requires time and energy.
The WASSC assessment
protocol encourages the starting point of the change process to be the mirror
of self-examination that the SCAI provides rather than beginning with a
solution such as a new program implementation. The climate assessment process
is critical to defining the priority needs and creating a vision for how to address
those needs. Moreover, the WASSC protocol encourages those who are part of the
assessment process to be part of the vision-setting process. In most successful
reforms, change starts from inside--inside the walls of the school and within
the hearts and minds of those who will participate in the effort.
School Climate as the Cornerstone of Successful
Reform
When the
school climate improves, there is a corresponding improvement in each area of
the school’s overall performance. When attention to the climate of the school is
neglected, it will limit the ability for a school to improve its performance either
in any single area or as an institution as a whole.
What is school climate? School climate has been defined in many
ways. At WASSC it is defined as “everything that happens at a school manifested
in the experience of ‘the way things are here.’” The climate is a by-product of
all practice, values, cultures and policies. It is the indicator of the health
of the school. As mentioned previously, climate reflects the reality that at
any school everything is interrelated and affects the school as a whole. Because
it is so fundamental to understanding the operations at a school, an
examination of climate will be critical to the success of any reform effort.
The Only True Change is Change from the Inside
The most
effective efforts at reform will be those that originate and emanate from those
inside the institution. Real change is personal, whether for an individual or a
group. It involves self examination and an internalized decision that “I/We
need to do better.” Those doing the work of change must own the changes. This
begins with seeing the need for them. Without ownership there is neither
understanding nor motivation. Therefore, each part of the change must be
grounded in the collective vision. Needs assessment data collection, data
analysis, goal setting, planning, leadership and power must all be integrated.
This may sound like an abstract principle, but in practice it will be
experienced as very real. For instance, what is your response to a set of goals
that you did not have a hand in creating? What is your response to data
analysis conclusions that were done by someone else? How do you feel when you
know that those who are working toward change are not those with the real power
in the school? When there is dis-integrity in the change process, holes are
created, and out of those holes leak motivation, understanding, commitment, and
trust.
The WASSC Assessment
Protocol encourages a series of steps for any change effort large or small.
These steps are outlined below. The SCAI encourages these steps by promoting a
transparent process. Moreover, items in the instrument can be used throughout
the process to promote vision and clarity.
A Step-by-Step Process for Lasting Change--Change from
the Inside
Step 1: Determining the Needs--Needs Assessment
The
starting point in an effective change process is an assessment of need. To know
where we are going we must know where we currently are. Data-driven decision
making requires meaningful data. The process of needs assessment operates to
inform, clarify and prove the nature and extent of the problems at the school. Assessment
data must be valid and reliable. To achieve validity, a wide range of factors must
be assessed. It is possible to do a narrow assessment and conclude that what requires
change is a narrow set of problems. It is important to examine whether we are asking
the right questions in our needs assessment. Common needs assessment tools are
surveys, interviews, focus groups, school records, observations, and community
concerns.
The WASSC SCAI works
to focus on a wide range of outcomes and aspects of school life (see eight
factors). Often after administering the SCAI, schools realize that their most
fundamental problems were outside of their awareness. The WASSC instrument
helps bring a broad-based “mirror” that identifies and quantifies the level of
effectiveness in a wide range of areas within the school. The SCAI helps to
address both the “real” as well as the “right” problems.
Step 2: Collecting Sound and Meaningful Data
Data
collection within the needs assessment/self-study process has many useful
functions. It educates those that take part in it. It makes problems more
concrete and real. And it helps build ownership of the problems that are
identified. When this process is done by outsiders, or if the school is unclear
as to the constructs of the assessments, then they run the risk of obtaining
data with little meaning. Sound data could be defined as that which answers the
right questions in the most concrete and usable form.
The WASSC SCAI and protocol
promote a deep understanding of the realities within the school. The process of
assessment therefore becomes as useful to the eventual change effort as the
needs assessment data itself. Those involved in the process of understanding
and obtaining the data become expert in asking the right questions. If those
within the school are not those asking the questions, or do not know what
questions to ask or what they are looking for, the assessment process can take
on a superficial quality, and the resulting data can lack “soundness.”
Step 3: Identifying what “We” will Agree are Our Problems
For change
to be successful, the school must arrive at a shared set of values. This can
take the form of a deep appreciation of the problems or a clear sense of what
needs to change, or both. Without shared values, any change process will derail
over time, at best becoming a formality that is given lip service but ignored
in practice, and at worst will lead to a train wreck of the whole process and
produce divisiveness and a resistance to future change.
The WASSC instrument
can be used to help the faculty self-assess. When there is a broad self-survey,
the results can help the faculty see where they are and where they are not. Throughout
the process the faculty and staff can be reminded that as a collective, “we”
judged ourselves to be low in Area X. Ultimately, this may not mean that the
collective shares a value to change in Area X, but it can initiate
conversations that would not likely have transpired with another instrument. A
finding that one’s school achieved a low climate score from a yes/no survey
will seldom lead to the in-depth item-by-item analysis that is possible with
the WASSC SCAI.
Step 4: Building a Collective Vision
For the
change process to produce results the collective should share a sense of vision
as it moves forward in the process. The collective does not always have to
agree, but they do need to be “on the same page.” To make this possible it is
helpful in the process of vision creation to adopt a common set of theoretical
constructs with which to discuss the problems. For example, a school may decide
that instructional quality or classroom discipline is at the root of their
problems. They may agree on the problem, but why it is a problem may reflect dramatically different perceptions.
The vision creation process is where the faculty and staff try to arrive at a
common conception of what “best practices” and/or a “better school” look like. Vision
requires that the collective possess a clear sense of the problem, shared
goals, and a common conception of the roadmap to those goals. This stage in the
process is likely to be contentious, but working out the details, the
definitions, and the goals are essential to success. Typically, members of the
collective tend to like solutions when they align with their own thinking and
meet their own needs, and dislike them when they do not agree and/or the
solutions do not improve their lives. Continuous communication and keeping all
the stakeholders at the table at this stage is critical. And if worst comes to
worst, some members of the collective may have to agree that while they may not
like the vision, they will commit to giving it a chance. In some cases, this
commitment may simply mean refraining from actively resisting the changes.
While appealing, sparing the collective from this process will just lead to
diminished buy-in later.
At the
stage of process, it will be tempting for the vision/steering/leadership entity
to move forward boldly once a consensus on key issues has been reached. This is
usually the result of an illusory sense of confidence. The problem is, as the
process moves into the planning phase while momentum toward producing new
policy and practice builds, the number of participants who care and/or
understand where the reform process is heading gets smaller, and ownership and
commitment are weakened. The vision will likely need to be articulated by a single
person or body, but must remain “owned” by the collective throughout. This is
accomplished by making the process and goals of the change effort as
transparent as possible, using a constant process of listening, articulation,
and clarification.
The WASSC SCAI
facilitate this vision process in a number of ways. First, the SCAI and the
data that it generates will help the collective recognize that all problems in
the school are related and therefore solutions need to reflect systemic
changes. Second, changing practice entails adopting new attitudes. The SCAI
implies “best practice” as both practice and principles. These principles help
many teachers and administrators recognize that to achieve school improvement,
they are required to rethink one or more of their attitudes. Third, the SCAI
can be a valuable tool in the process of connecting the dots between the big picture
and the specifics necessary for change. Each sub-scale acts as a rubric for
quality in that particular area. Finally, the high quality level of the SCAI
implies a concept of a quality school and a pathway for getting there. These
levels connote both “things that you will want to start doing” as well as
“thing that you will want to reduce or eliminate” at your school. WASSC does
not encourage or discourage schools from taking on ideas wholesale from the
instrument or our school improvement material. We only encourage that faculty
and staff at each school see clearly what it will take to get where they want
to go, and take on a team-oriented mindset to get there.
Step 5: Operationalizing and Planning
In an
effective reform process, the vision setting stage of the process should
overlap into the planning and implementation stages. At some point the vision does
need to become operationalized and concrete, so that it can be interpreted and
put into action most efficiently. This planning stage can take many forms, but
should be done with the broadest level of participation and be led by those who
will be most responsible for its implementation. It will be helpful at this
point to operationalize what must change, and set it out into a timeline of
series of stages. It will be necessary for those participating to educate
themselves or be educated in the operational details of the new forms of
practices and/or structures. Planning for change is seen traditionally as being
done at a single point in time, but in practice it works better if it is takes
the form of an ongoing process driven by very concrete and specific goals and
the collectively shared vision. In other words, it is conceivable that planning
could become a perpetual stage. But maintaining trust and faithfulness to the
vision will always be necessary. It can work for participants to decide to modify
the pathway, but it will be essential that anything that alters the larger
vision is processed by the representatives of the collective.
The WASSC SCAI and
protocol will be helpful in operationalizing what needs to be changed, as well
as identifying the kinds of structures in the school that need to be in place
to encourage a sound and efficacious change process (see leadership scale). WASSC
consultants are available to support the efforts of the members of the school
at this stage. Staff development can be useful at this stage, as in many cases
teachers may be unfamiliar with some concepts or practices that would help them
reach their goals. With or without the support of consultants, the planning
process will be more effective if it takes the form of new levels of capacity
to produce the desired practices rather than a static stage that comes and
goes. Planning, like vision creation, should be ongoing. An ongoing planning
system and a process for new idea generation will be a useful goal.
Step 6: Illusion-Free Implementation
Like the
vision and planning stages, implementation should be viewed more as the emergence
of a new capacity within the collective than a finite set of activities. But
effective implementation will have a few important ingredients. First, clarify
the roles of those who have the power and the responsibility. Moreover, power
and responsibility should be put in the hands of those closest to the
implementation, as much as possible. Second, roles, titles and duties can be
useful in promoting accountability, but accountability will be greatest when
there is ownership and a way for success to be reported and recognized. Third,
developing a logical structure to organize and coordinate efforts will be
necessary. Grade levels, departments, professional learning communities, small
learning communities, implementation clusters, and/or committees are some of
the possible organizational structures. Fourth, stages and benchmarks can be
helpful tools to keep members on the same page and working in a coordinated
fashion. Fifth, time must be provided for those doing the implementation. The
presence or absence of time to discuss, reflect, share results and study can
make all the difference between superficial and fundamental change over time.
Sixth, keep the process transparent and the vision active. Leaders must make a
continuous effort to listen to what is going on and articulate it to those who
need to know. Finally, when the members of the school become confident in their
capacity to grow and change and feel empowered to do what they think will help
them serve the goals and vision of the collective, it will be natural that new
goals will replace old ones, and new problems will be identified that take on a
higher priority. When the school’s capacity for change reaches this level, changing
the course of an implementation should not be seen as necessarily straying from
the vision, but potential evidence of a higher level of understanding of what
needs to happen.
Step 7: Assessment and Accountability
Like the
three stages described earlier, the assessment and accountability stage should
be ongoing, and should begin as soon as there is something to assess. It may be
that the measures used to determine the needs and the initial state of affairs
could be useful later in the process to demonstrate effect. If we ask the right
questions at the beginning of the process, we should learn that things have
changed when we ask them again later, indicating success. If we did not ask the
right questions at the start, we will still want to find measures that confirm
or disconfirm the effectiveness of our efforts. Evidence of change is
motivating. It tells us that our efforts have been worth it, and provides a
source of positive recognition.
The SCAI can be used
as a periodic assessment tool. It can act as a rubric and a guide in that it
helps raise the sights of the school to high level qualities and the practices
that define that level. Therefore, it can be used formally or informally at any
point in the process to gauge progress.
Step 8: Nurturing the Institution and Sustaining the
Results
A school
that is getting better is not only succeeding at getting better results with
students but is becoming a more functional and effective institution in
general. For a school to become more effective it needs a more effective culture.
The capacities that are generated in a meaningful change process will help
empower a school to be more vision-based, integrated, and responsible, and help
create structures that will promote function and tap more of the potential of
its members. Put simply, the school becomes a self-improving, self-educating
entity.
The WASSC SCAI implies
a success psychology within its constructs. When a school begins to adopt a
success psychology, it learns to unlock student potential as well as the
potential of its members individually and collectively.
The WASSC instrument
helps the school recognize that all areas of the school performance are
related, so that getting better in any area will help the collective, and
neglecting any area of performance will keep the school from growing.
Therefore, a level of awareness develops related to how “everyone is in it
together,” and the actions and intentions of each member count.
Appendix A
School Climate Assessment System Comparison
School Climate bears a significant relationship between
student achievement, teacher retention and satisfaction, school violence and
the ability for schools to sustain reform.
While efforts made by schools to assess the quality of their climate
appear to be worth the investment in general, systems for assessing and
improving school climate and their efficacy vary substantially. The following comparison demonstrates the
difference between traditional systems of climate assessment and those
developed by the
Traditional
forms of school climate assessment are typically characterized by:
- A
process controlled largely by outsiders
- An
opaque definition of school climate
- Prescriptions
for change that stem from assumptions made by outsiders
- An
objective survey type inventory (as seen below)
Objective-Type Survey Item Example:
Teachers at my school help
us children with our school problems.
Agree Not
Sure Disagree
The
- A
process driven by the school’s own steering/vision team
- A
transparent definition of school climate
- Prescriptions
for change generated by the participants who work in the school.
- An
analytic-scale based instrument (example item shown below)
Analytic Trait
Scale Instrument Item Example:
|
High |
Middle |
Low |
|
Teacher-student
interactions could be typically described as supportive and respectful. |
Teacher-student
interactions could be typically described as fair but teacher-dominated. |
Teacher-student
interactions are mostly teacher-dominated and reactive. |
|
<---------------- ---------- ---------------------- ----------- ------------ ---------------------- --------- ---------- ----à |
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Comparison
Research:
In a study of the efficacy of the WASSC system in an urban setting (Shindler, Taylor, Jones & Cadenas, 2003), significant advantages for a participant-driven, analytic-scale system were observed. The analytic-scale (i.e., rubric) instrument demonstrated greater soundness (i.e., validity, reliability, efficiency and benefit) than traditional inventories. The analytic instrument also proved more practical because it provided users with an educational tool for understanding climate, a venue for constructing a meaningful definition for “quality school climate” aligned with the school’s goals, and language that helped participants move from the diagnosis of problems to prescriptions for the cures. Traditional surveys are not designed to provide these benefits. The use of an analytic instrument in the hands of committed faculty and staff creates both ownership and transparency to the assessment process. These findings confirmed previous research that suggests meaningful reform is not possible without both of these conditions being present. Moreover, the WASSC system demonstrated the capacity to provide continuity to school personnel as they attempted to move from assessment to planning to action without losing momentum or vision.
Appendix B
|
Sub-Scale |
Description |
|
Physical Appearance |
Examines
the relationship between the physical characteristics and environment of a
school and the climate that it promotes. This dimension includes the degree
to which intentional efforts have been made related to the consideration of
the perceptions of outsiders and expectations and treatment of custodial
staff. |
|
Faculty Relations |
Examines
the relationship between how faculty members relate to one another and the
effect on the climate of the school.
This dimension includes the degree to which collaboration, respect,
capacity to interact, and a sense of collective purpose exist among the faculty.
It also includes the implicit and explicit expectations among faculty as to
how decisions are made and duties are delegated and performed. |
|
Student Interactions |
Examines
the relationships among student expectations, peer interactions, and their
place in the school and the climate that is exists. This dimension includes the degree to which
students interactions are governed by intention vs. accidental qualities. |
|
Leadership and Decision-Making |
Examines
the relationships among decision-making mechanisms, how administrative
authority is manifested and the climate that is created as a result. This
dimension includes the degree to which the collective possess a shared sense
of values and an operational vision. It also explores the ways in which the
quality of leadership affects school life. |
|
Discipline and Management
Environment |
Examines
the relationship between the management and discipline approaches used within
the school and the climate that is created as a result. This dimension
includes the degree to which management strategies promote higher levels of
responsibility and motivation. It also examines teacher-student interactions
as a source of management and motivation. |
|
Learning, Instruction and
Assessment |
Examines
the relationships among the instructional strategies and the assessment
methods used in the school and the climate that is created. Instruction is
explored as it relates to its level of engagement, student empowerment and
authenticity. Higher quality instruction and assessment methods are
contrasted to less effective methods by the degree to which they promote a
psychology of success rather than a psychology of failure. |
|
Attitude and Culture |
Examines
the pervasive attitudes and cultures that operate within the school and their
relationship to the climate. This
dimension explores the degree to which social and/or communal bonds are
present within the school, the attitudes that the members of the school
possess, and the level of pride and ownership they feel. It includes the
degree to which efforts in this area are made intentionally or left to
chance. |
|
Community Relations |
Examines
the relationship between the way that the school is perceived externally and
its climate. This dimension includes the degree to which the school is
welcoming, takes advantage of the resources in the local community--including
parents--and acts intentionally as a center of community life. |