Recent studies raise concerns about the poor quality of education in the U.S. In the past, education was seen as a great equalizer in the society, it had the potential to improve the lives of the less fortunate children and enable social mobility. However, the degradation of the education system has compromised the ability of education to improve lives. In response to the concerns, the government and educational organizations across the country are engaging in educational reforms. Implementing educational reform is a daunting task, educational reforms calls for systemic change that strengthens the mission, the culture, and institutional leadership. Reform efforts vary, but effective reform effort improves interaction between students, teaching staff, community, educational bodies, and the school administration.
Current Reform Efforts in the Organization
The primary reform effort focuses on organizational leadership. School leaders have the potential to impact behavior, thus effectively trained school leaders are needed to bring in change. Effective leaders have the capacity to improve instructional quality and student achievement in learning institutions (Davis et al., 2013). The current school leadership is under fire because it has failed to bring positive changes for years. School leadership in public education is facing constant criticism for under-performance, in comparison to leaders in the private system.
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The heart of educational reform lies in organizational leadership; hence, it is the responsibility of the government, school districts and individual schools to adopt better leadership strategies. Well-trained leaders will inspire a large-scale turnaround in the educational sector. Well performing schools are characterized by skilled leaders that inspire the development of a professional community, program coherence and effective utilization of resources.
In reforming leadership within the organization, school leaders are trained on better leadership strategies to improve how they relate to teachers and students (Fullan, 2002). School leaders are urged to adopt a transformational leadership style that will enable them to transform processes in the school to meet the changing needs and challenges faced by students (Leithwood & Janzi, 2006). Transformational leaders are more likely to collaborate with subordinates, students and the entire community to address the problem facing the school.
Another reform effort is adopting better teaching strategies. A shift in institutional leadership is necessary, but teachers come in direct contact with the students. According to Croft et al. (2015) focusing on the wrong educational reforms can be more destructive in the end. Common reforms such as changing educational policies, testing and evaluation policies will not have much effect on the education system. Teaching methods should be improved so that students will derive the best out of the education system. Croft et al. (2015) suggests that improving the teacher education program goes a long way in improving the state of education in America; education should focus more on the process than the result. Teachers should teach students to critically think on their own, rather than making students memorize concepts for the exams only. Teachers should not focus on grades only and other qualitative measures of performance; rather they should teach students to enjoy the learning process in order to foster innovation.
How is the change managed?
Educational reform efforts in the organization have been marked by a number of changes. Unfortunately, organizational change is not always perceived well, especially when the change is accompanied by new responsibilities. Nonetheless, the changes have been managed well by bringing everyone on board.
Change management is a crucial aspect of reform implementation. The first aspect of change management used in the organization is connecting the change with the overall vision. Learning institutions are guided by the vision of imparting knowledge and inspiring students explore their full potential. The relevant stakeholders are more likely to accept change when they see the connection between change and educational improvement. The stakeholders acknowledge that there is a need for educational improvement, hence their willingness to take part in the reform process.
Another strategy for managing change is constant communication. Constant communication will make change a part of organizational culture, such that the stakeholders will view the reforms as the norm. In John Kotter’s steps of managing change, effective communication is necessary to inform the stakeholders about the shared vision (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2006). The vision of educational reform is a shared vision for the relevant stakeholders, but the stakeholders are less likely to accept change when they are not involved. The changes implemented by the organization reflect on the collective ideas of the different stakeholders. An effective communication plan was developed and executed flawlessly, the plan engaged stakeholders through print materials, focus groups, forums and other channels of communications.
Lastly, leadership plays an important role in change management. Leaders set the tone for the reform process such that leaders that are enthusiastic about change are likely to gain the support of the other stakeholders. Educational reform affects all aspects of the organization; it is the responsibility of the leaders to bring all the stakeholders together. Leaders build powerful coalitions, and motivate the stakeholders to implement the reform even when the implementation process is challenging.
The primary Stakeholders
The primary stakeholders are school administrators, teachers, students, support staff, parents, school board, community members, school district and the state educational board. Educational reform requires the input and participation of various stakeholders.
Stakeholder engagement is necessary for the success of the reform process. Each stakeholder brings something unique to the table, for instance, the school leadership will mobilize all the stakeholders to come together, whereas the teachers will be responsible for implementing the actual changes that relates to learning. Each stakeholder has unique proposals, perspectives and strategies that will improve education. All stakeholders must respect each other as crucial members of the same team; otherwise there will be conflicts, which will adversely affect reform implementation.
Community members play an important role in the reform process. Community members involve parents and the entire public. When families work together with teachers, families will have a better grasp of their children’s performance and goals, and they will hold them responsible at home. Other stakeholders such as the school board, the school district and the state educational boards are responsible for the financing and regulating the reform process. Militello et al. (2013) explores the importance of the school district, state boards and other educational bodies in regulating the reform process. Such bodies have the resources and expertise to guide the reform process to ensure it achieves the desired goal. Galloway & Ishumari (2015) talk about the interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards that guide the development of educational leaders. Such standards are now used across the country to equip educational leaders with the skills and competencies for championing reform processes in their respective institutions.
Activities that secure stakeholder Engagement
As stated earlier on, stakeholder engagement is necessary for the success of the reform process. Getting the support of the stakeholders is easy, but getting them to commit to implementing the reform is harder. The organization has used a wide range of techniques to improve participation levels, including discussion groups, online forums and regular meetings. The first step in securing stakeholder engagement is by keeping the conversation going. When the stakeholders are interested in the project, they will keep the conversation going regarding their role in the reform process. It is the responsibility of the leader to do whatever it takes to keep the conversation going through group emails, social media, websites and other avenues of communication.
Another strategy for improving stakeholder engagement is through feedback. Internal and external stakeholders are involved in the reform process, and in most cases the external stakeholders will not have the same level of information as internal stakeholders. It is necessary to inform the external stakeholders about the proposed plans, to give them constant feedback and ask them for their input on how to improve the reform process.
Lastly, the organization has managed to secure stakeholder engagement by treating all the stakeholders with respect. Each stakeholder brings something to the table, and by acknowledging the importance of each stakeholder, the stakeholders feel appreciated. Each stakeholder should have a sense of ownership of the project, which will foster motivation.
Activities that have been ineffective in securing stakeholder engagement
Securing stakeholder engagement is not easy; some stakeholders were not interested in the reform process because it increased their responsibilities. The teachers were not quite enthusiastic about the reform process because they are dealing with a host of challenges. School administrators are struggling to make ends meet despite the budget cuts, teachers are overworked, and the other stakeholders are generally dealing with too much responsibility already. From this particular reform process, it became evident that securing stakeholder engagement initially is a daunting task, and without a persistent leader, the reform process would not have taken off.
Another ineffective move that can adversely affect stakeholder engagement is treating stakeholder differently based on their contributions. Each stakeholder wants to be treated equally; hence leaders must avoid favoring stakeholders that bring a lot to the table. Initially, the organization favored other stakeholders over others, especially those that funded the reform process. This did not sit well with other stakeholders, particularly teachers as they felt that they are responsible for a lot of the work during the reform process. Favoring other stakeholders over others is a wrong move that can alienate stakeholders, destroy team spirit and kill the project before it even starts.
Lastly, failing to acknowledge the differences between stakeholders will eventually lead to conflicts. Different stakeholders have different approaches towards educational reform, and sometimes when the differences are not addressed; bigger conflicts could arise in the end. A leader must acknowledge the differences as early as possible, and help the group manage their differences in a civilized manner.
In conclusion, implementing educational reform is probably the most daunting task for educational leaders. It is even more challenging when leaders have to adopt new strategies of leadership as part of the reform, while implementing other changes. However, schools can only improve through reforms. Reform process brings together various stakeholders to work towards a common goal. School reform efforts are complex, and the leaders must be vigilant throughout the process if they wish to live up to the promise of true change.
References
Croft, S. C., Roberts, M. M., & Stenhouse, V. S. (2016). The perfect storm of education reform: High-stakes testing and teacher evaluation. Social Justice, 42 (1), 70-92. Davis, S. H., Leon, R. J., & Fultz, M. (2013). How principals learn to lead: The comparative influence of on-the-job experiences, administrator credential programs, and the ISLLC standards in the development of leadership expertise among urban public school principals. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 8 (1).
Fullan, M. G. (2002). Beyond instructional leadership. Educational Leadership , 59 (8), 16-21.
Galloway, M. K., & Ishimaru, A. M. (2015). Radical recentering: Equity in educational leadership standards. Educational Administration Quarterly, 51 (3), 372.
Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2006). Transformational leadership: How principals can help reform school cultures. School effectiveness and school improvement , 1 (4), 249-280.
Militello, M., Fusarelli, B., Alsbury, T., & Warren, T. P. (2013). How professional standards guide practice for school principals. International Journal of Educational Management, 27( 1), 74. doi:10.1108/09513541311289837
