This report summarises the changes in schooling practice in a group of remote rural schools, with a combined roll of approximately 120 students constituting the Wairoa West Cluster, as the result of the short term appointment of a Schools’ Director.
Purpose
The purpose of the report is threefold – one, to inform policy development and contribute to the body of knowledge about leadership in small schools; two, to document the achievements of all stakeholders; and three, to provide insights into sustainable practices in remote rural schools, through an historical account of the initiative.
Key Results
- Improved performance of the WWC schools and concomitant enhanced student achievement outcomes only occurred once school leadership and management moved their focus from operational matters to student achievement. Curriculum goals, requisite resources and appropriate pedagogical and assessment practices needed to become the focus before enhanced student achievement outcomes were realised.
- The collection and analysis of data across the WWC schools provided a significant population for meaningful comparisons with peers and national norms, and assisted Boards, principals and teachers to identify gaps in teaching and learning for evidenced-based planning. It also enabled principals/teachers to be responsive to the range of student learning needs in vertical class groupings prevalent in small rural schools.
- Progress is cumulative: in this case, the leaps in improvement that occurred under the leadership of the Schools’ Director from 2002-2004 were facilitated by the raft of earlier supportive interventions and Schooling Improvement projects.
- The key to stability of school management and staffing, and to longer-term sustainability of progress, lies in the establishment and maintenance of strong professional learning communities, with a distributed leadership approach. In this way, expertise becomes a shared resource, reducing reliance on individual personalities.
- Relationships are crucial and must be fostered by all stakeholders including the Ministry, community, parents/whānau and Boards, principals and teachers, and students. Learning is a collaborative, organic process and effective relationships and communication at all levels is essential for facilitating and maximising enhanced social, cultural and academic achievement outcomes.