SEDL Releases Working Systemically in Action to Help Initiate Systemic Change Within School Systems

February 12, 2009
Austin, Texas

Contact:
Christine Moses
Director of Communications
Phone: 512-391-6538
E-mail: Christine.Moses@sedl.org

Today, SEDL released its newest publication, Working Systemically In Action: A Guide for Facilitators. The guide provides a process for promoting systemic change within and throughout school systems supported by a culture of continuous inquiry and collaboration. It is based on more than 3 decades of school reform research and theory and is built upon a framework outlined in a previous SEDL publication on systemic improvement.

“Ensuring that every student enrolled in our schools receives high-quality instruction from caring adults often requires big changes in expectations and in the way many local systems operate,” said D’Ette Cowan, one of the authors of the guide and a project director at SEDL. “It requires local systems to become learning organizations. This can only happen if leaders at all levels of the system—superintendents, principals, central office staff, and teachers—are active in rethinking and refining the way their systems operate.”

The Working Systemically approach assists districts and schools in moving toward a more coherent way of operating. Although “quick wins” are important in turning around low-performing schools, leaders in the system must also commit to long-term, continuous school improvement across three dimensions:

1) Working at all the levels within the local educational system—classroom, school, and district, as well as with intermediate agencies and state and national education departments;
2) Aligning educational components such as standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment, as well as resources, professional staff, policy and governance, and family and community; and
3) Developing and honing competencies needed for improvement within the system—creating coherence; collecting, interpreting, and using data; ensuring continuous professional learning; building relationships; and responding to changing conditions.

The competencies are developed while working on the components at all levels of the system through a five-phase process:

Phase 1: Scanning the System
Phase 2: Analyzing the System
Phase 3: Planning Action
Phase 4: Taking Action and Monitoring Progress
Phase 5: Assessing and Reflecting on Outcomes

The publication contains tools for facilitators to use as they guide district and school leadership teams and help them build capacities at all levels of the system to make sustainable, long-term improvements to increase student achievement. The product includes a CD-ROM containing the electronic files for all the tools and handouts referenced in the 220-page guide.

Cowan believes that using data effectively to monitor implementation and impact of improvement initiatives is critical to achieving lasting results. Working Systemically in Action provides educators and leaders with a process to accomplish long-term benefits for both staff and students.