Their school districts may be failing them;

Their approach to improving their school systems is probably insufficient;

There is another way to improve an entire school system; and,

Some of their colleagues will object to this other approach.

Why?Because their school districts

are systems

Results(Outputs)Core and Supporting Work

Feedback on Performance

External Environment—Customers and Stakeholders

Internal Social Infrastructure

Internal Social Infrastructure

Inputs(Resources)

Why?Because most contemporary

change methods are based on ineffective theories.

Belief 2:Belief 2:Their Approach to Improving Their Their Approach to Improving Their

School Systems May be Insufficient School Systems May be Insufficient

NF1 DF1

NF2 DF2

Anticipated Events

Unanticipated Events

Maximize Anticipated Events

Minimize Unanticipated Events

Anticipated Events

Unanticipated Events

Desired Future

Present Situation

Anticipated Events

Unanticipated Events

Desired Future

Present Situation

NF1DF1

NF2 DF2

Per

form

ance

Time

Current Performance

Level

Stressor introduced; i.e., change begins

Performance level deteriorates because of new performance

requirements

If system pushes through the

declining learning curve, then it will

move toward desired vision

Desired Future

Point where changes begin

Desired Future

Current Level of Performance

Systems and individuals often cannot tolerate a declining level of performance, so they bail out of the learning curve and go back to where they started.

Actual Desired Future

Present Situation

What is it?Systemic Transformational

Change

Whole-system transformation requires three sets of simultaneous improvements.

Each set can be thought of as path along which educators must travel to arrive at a destination marked by improved student, faculty and staff, and whole-system learning.

Path 1: Improved Relationships With

External Environment

Path 2: Improved Core and Support Work Processes

Path 3: Improved Internal Social Infrastructure

Pre-Launch Team Strategic Leadership Team Transformation Coordinator (preferably

an assistant or associate superintendent)

Cluster Design Teams School Design Teams Learning Communities

Start here:Community Engagement

Conference

Then this…System Engagement

Conference

Finally, encourage…Organization Learning

Networks

Then run…Redesign

Workshops

Followed by this…Cluster Engagement

Conference

On-Track Seminars

Leaders who act on the basis of personal courage, passion, and vision; not on the basis of fear or self-survival;

Leaders who conceive of their school districts as whole-systems; not as a collection of individual programs and activities;

Leaders and followers who have a clear view of the opportunities that transformation offers them; not a view of “we can’t do this because…”;

Leaders and followers who are familiar with the art and science of school system transformation; not people without an inkling about the requirements of navigating transformational change.

Yes, nice idea, but who else is doing this? Yes, nice idea but, how do we pay for

this? Yes, nice idea, but how can we stop doing

what we’re doing to make these kinds of changes?

One of the greatest “innovation killers” in the history of humankind is captured in the question, “Where is this being used”? Or, its corollary, “Who else is doing this”?

Baldrige Award winners in education,

• Chugach School District in Anchorage, Alaska (2001)

• Pearl River School District in Pearl River, New York (2001)

• Community Consolidated School District 15, Palatine, Illinois (2003)

• Jenks Public Schools, Jenks, Oklahoma (2005)

These districts applied principles of systemic change, but I do not have any evidence that they resulted in transformed school systems.

Other school districts that engaged in whole system change participated in a study by the Learning First Alliance titled, “Beyond Islands of Excellence: What Districts Can Do to Improve Instruction and Achievement in All Schools” (Togneri & Anderson, 2003). These districts were:

• Aldine Independent School District, Texas

• Chula Vista Elementary School District, California

• Kent County Public Schools, Maryland• Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota• Providence Public Schools, Rhode Island

And….a school system that is beginning to apply these principles….

The California School for the Deaf, Fremont

A school district that is engaged in systemic transformational change is the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township in Indiana.

This district is on a transformation journey that is being facilitated by Dr. Charles

Reigeluth, the co-director of the FutureMinds initiative.

Strategies used: Reallocate existing dollars Creatively use federal dollars Seek “extra” dollars Create a permanent budget line in the district’s

operational budget to support ongoing transformation efforts

Improved student, faculty and staff

and whole system learning

TransformedSchool System

Current System

Parallel System

We are near the end of this leg of our journey. Along the way, you explored 4 beliefs that can empower change leaders to transform their school systems. Belief 1: That their school systems may be failing. Belief 2: That their current approach to

improvement may be insufficient. Belief 3: That there is a different approach to

improving a school system. Belief 4: That some of their colleagues will object to

that different approach.

You were introduced to a methodology to create and sustain transformational change in a school system.

You discovered 4 conditions that must exist before engaging in whole-system change.

You identified real-life school systems and one school for the deaf that applied or are applying principles of systemic change.

You discovered that there are ways to pay for systemic transformation.

You saw a strategy educators can use to transform their school systems while continuing their current operations.

In your table groups, please discuss your answers to the following three questions:

What is the most important thing you learned from the presentation?

How was your mind-set about how to create and sustain systemic transformational change in school systems influenced by this presentation?

What are the implications of this information for instructional designers and the field of educational communications and technology?