The Educational Change Model: reforming Year 7 and junior secondary in Queensland

Queensland state schools are engaged in significant change as they implement the major reform, A Flying Start for Queensland Children. One of the most significant of the reforms is the transition of Year 7 to high school in all Queensland schools from 2015 and the introduction of Junior Secondary for Years 7, 8 and 9. The research team have been working with all 258 state high school leadership teams across the state during 2014 with a multifaceted Program that aimed to build their capacity to lead effective change processes in schools, specifically in preparation for the transition of Year 7 and the formation of Junior Secondary. The Program involved three stages. First, in Stage 1school leaders engaged in a two-day intensive professional learning where resources and strategies were provided and leaders determined their phase of implementation and how the resources could assist them to move forward through the change process. Central to this stage was the Educational Change Model (Pendergast et al., 2005) which was used in conjunction with Kotter’s 8 step Leading Change Model (2002) and strongly guided by the principles garnered from the McKinsey & Company report, How the World’s Most Improved School Systems keep Getting Better (Mourshed, Chijioke, & Barber, 2010). During this process contextualised and individualised school Action Plans were developed. Stage 2 involved an on-line coaching program individualised around clusters of schools to provide ongoing support over a period of months for each school leadership team. Finally, Stage 3 provided an opportunity for the school leadership teams to reflect on their Action Plan achievements and their readiness for 2015. Underpinning the Program design was the “clear evidence that purposeful professional learning for teachers and school leaders is one of the most effective strategies for improving student outcomes in our schools” (AITSL, 2012: 6). In the case of this project, continuing and targeted professional development was at the core of the strategy. This approach had a clear focus on the school leaders with the objective of enabling them to ensure that all high schools were ready to transition year 7 to Junior Secondary. It also aimed to enhance and improve pre-existing Junior Secondary models with sound philosophical and educational practices in place. This readiness is inclusive of preparing their teachers for this significant shift, enabling them to be self-efficacious and thereby better positioned to improve student learning. This presentation will share the journey of the project