What this means

"It is always amazing how many of the things we do will never be missed. And nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all" (Peter F. Drucker)

School performance obviously does not occur in a vacuum. The same applies to teachers in the classroom. If we put good performers in bad systems, the systems will win every time.

For example, the quality of the work of a teacher is linked to broader system factors such as:

• Technology and technical support
• High-quality curriculum and support
• A unified, P-12 model of schooling
• Collegiality and real team teaching
• State-of-the art educational facilities

The absence of any one of these factors may obviously make it more difficult for individual teachers to fully utilise their knowledge and skills in the interests of all students. As well, an old approach to performance management may over-manage individuals and under-manage the systems in which they work.

Only a few countries have introduced performance related pay in their education systems in a major way and the evidence is inconclusive. In the United States, for example, studies reveal no clear cause and effect relationship between performance-related pay and teacher performance.

Further, if an old system of schooling operates at almost maximum efficiency and effectiveness, as Robert Branson argues, the small margin between current levels and 100% efficiency may not be worth the effort. Thus, holding teachers responsible for the failure of a part of a system may both misunderstand the real problem and miss opportunities to significantly improve student outcomes.

A new system (e.g., P-12 schooling) may have much larger effects on outcomes than changes in individual work practices per se. Thus, as is being promoted through innovations in many schools, performance consists of both person and system influences - with broader system factors increasing in importance.

Likewise, longer-term, there is likely to be a shift from a focus on the performance of any one school to the performance of a cluster of schools working with each other and with pre-school and post-secondary partners to create a learning and development system. Such systems may self-assess their:

• Effectiveness - to what extent students' needs are met and learning outcomes are improved
• Efficiency - how economically resources are utilised
• Changeability - to what extent there is preparation for future changes and innovation.

case study

To be developed.

ACTION CHECKLIST

To be developed.