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Executive Summary
1. This report provides an account of the first year of activity within Research to Support Schools of Ambition. The Schools of Ambition programme aims to 'to raise the ambitions of schools, instil belief and ambition in pupils, extend their opportunities and transform their life chances' (Scottish Government, 2007). In February 2005 schools were invited to apply, through their local authority and with support from the Scottish Executive, for additional resources to support whole school improvement based on local needs. Schools were selected for participation on the basis of a locally authored bid which outlined: (1) the school's vision for transformational change; (2) the anticipated impact of the plan on the school community; and (3) key actions to drive forward sustainable change initiated in a three-year 'transformation period'. From forty-two applications, twenty-one schools were awarded School of Ambition status in tranche one. A second tranche of schools joined the programme in March 2007 and a third tranche of twenty-four schools joined the programme in September 2007 to produce a full complement of fifty-two schools located across the thirty-two local authorities of Scotland.
2. A distinctive feature of the programme is that the evaluation of the initiative remains with, rather than outside the professional community. Each school has retained responsibility for designing its own developmental evaluation with guidance and support. A team of experienced research 'mentors' (facilitators or 'supporters') from the Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Strathclyde was commissioned to work with teacher-evaluators to develop appropriate strategies of enquiry and evaluation instruments. The university-based team is also examining the processes of change across the expanding network of schools. The aims of the evaluation are to:
Explore and describe the processes of change implementation
Identify factors that enable or inhibit change in practice
Explore issues relating to the sustainability of improvement efforts
Share the wider lessons learnt about the process and impact of school 'transformation' with the education community, policy makers and other stakeholders
3. The Research Support Team has worked closely with the first tranche of Schools of Ambition from the launch of the evaluation strand in September 2006. Sixty-six support visits have taken place between October 2006 and July 2007. In addition to face-to-face support, electronic resources are available through a bespoke Virtual Research Environment ( VRE) designed to further support communication and information sharing across the Schools of Ambition.
4. In working with the Schools of Ambition, it is clear that they are keen to exercise new freedoms to adapt the curriculum to the local needs of pupils. Priorities for change include the need for curriculum breadth, particularly the expansion of opportunities for more 'relevant' vocational learning to tackle problems of disaffection and disengagement and address local skills shortages. In raising expectations and aspirations the schools are experimenting with pedagogical approaches that encourage higher levels of creativity, critical enquiry and co-operative learning. In working towards these aspirations, school leaders have identified the need to build school cultures that are open to change: sharing the rationale for innovation, providing opportunities for cross-department and cross-hierarchy participation. The notion of devolved leadership features strongly in several school transformational plans.
5. It has been a key aim of the SoA programme that the developments in each school should be sustainable and it has been a goal of the research element that enquiry oriented approaches should continue to inform the professional approach within the schools, beyond the period of external support. The report describes a number of settings where there has been a change in the institutional culture of the school, brought about through internal and external collaboration. In addition to dissemination activities directly associated with the research work, there are examples of engagement between schools (eg networks being established) and with recognized programmes and courses such as SQH and the Chartered Teacher programme.
6. Partnerships with a wide range of organizations have been a strong feature of the SoA activities. These include links with other educational organizations, local employers and community groups. Several schools have brought in external parties to stimulate developments, for example through arts programmes. In relation to the research activity many schools have engaged external consultants to support particular aspects of their investigations e.g. Columba 1400, Brathay Consultancy, the Forum Consultancy and Sheppard Moscow.
7. The evaluation methodologies adopted are very varied and typically include both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Significant use is being made of data that is already routinely collected in schools, such as attainment, attendance and exclusion data. Many schools are seeking to involve pupils themselves in the collection of data whether by asking them to undertake particular tasks or by reviewing work they are doing for particular aspects of the curriculum.
8. Most schools are additionally making use of specific action research and/or social science techniques, including interviews, focus groups, questionnaires and photographic/film evidence. It is often in developing these activities that support is sought from members of the research team. Many teachers have expressed a particular wish to develop their use of qualitative methods.
9. A wide range of approaches to the management of research and evaluation within the schools has been evident. In most schools a research co-ordinator has been identified and this person is usually accountable to a senior manager, either the headteacher or a depute. The extent to which the co-ordinator is supported by other staff varied greatly, but the most effective approach has been one where a team of staff has been identified to work together.
10. The schools where the research has developed most successfully are those where the management of the work has been explicit, where a group of people share responsibility, where headteachers are perceived to be enthusiastic about this aspect of the work and where the research plans have been realistic and purposeful. Schools where the development has been slower include those where there are few resources allocated to the work, where the responsibility falls heavily on a small number of individuals (occasionally just one person) and where the researchers are entirely outside the senior management team. Furthermore where the research plans have been overambitious or too complex, progress has tended to be slow.
11. Many schools have adopted an instrumental approach to research and evaluation, which is based on clear targets and a systematic approach to measurement of outcomes, often using existing available data. Some schools however have taken a more developmental, open-ended approach, that relies on the generation of new data and seeks to inform future developments as much as assessing success with current initiatives. As confidence within schools grows the research team has been encouraging schools to work towards this more developmental approach, which may be seen as action research.
12. Some of the schools are moving towards forms of self-evaluation that involve a wider range of voices. Encouraging dialogue has presented challenges to hierarchical relations and traditional demarcations between senior management, classteachers, other professionals in school, pupils, parents and other external partners in the local community. The Schools of Ambition are committed to involving community and business partners in the process of change.
13. The major challenges for the first tranche of schools in the coming year will be to ensure sustainability of their initiatives and of the cultural change and organizational learning that has been achieved. The schools will also be seeking to make an assessment of what has been achieved over the three years of support that they have received. The second and third tranches of schools will be seeking to develop their research and evaluation teams and to embed their practices within the school structures.
14. For the research support team the coming year will involve supporting a total of 52 schools, each with their own priorities and support needs. Effective communication within the team and between the team, the schools and the Scottish Government officers will be more important than ever. Such communication will be aided by further development of the use of the Virtual Research Environment. The team will also be seeking to identify the lessons to be learned from this innovative work for the benefit of the wider education community in and beyond Scotland.
16. The first year of Research to Support Schools of Ambition has proved challenging and rewarding for both the school professionals engaged in leading and evaluating change and the research mentors who have supported the development of evaluation strategies. This innovative programme has encouraged the development of stronger relationships between the practitioner, academic and policy communities. Interviews with teacher-evaluators reveal that participation in evaluation activities has been a challenging, but positive experience, enhancing their skills and professional development. School leaders have reported the development of a new 'mindset', 'way of thinking' and 'language' used in talking about school change and are enthusiastic about the potential of the Schools of Ambition programme to promote 'approved risk taking' and to break down 'traditional barriers' to improvement.
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