Design elements
Target for support (strengths and needs)
A Learning and Change Network (LCN) is a group of schools/kura working together to grow capability and to accelerate achievement of priority learners in ways that recognise cultural diversity and that grows innovative and future focused learning.
Learning and Change Network (LCN) focuses on using expert LCN facilitators to build the expertise and capability of network members in learning and change methodology. The network members challenge and critique the effectiveness of current beliefs and practices that contribute to their student achievement challenge within, between, and across schools, kura, and communities by schools, kura, and communities and then implement change.
Expected outcomes
LCN has four expected outcomes for school/kura:
- Acceleration in learner achievement for the identified priority groups.
- Increased sector/leader capability by networks of schools/kura and communities by and across schools/kura and communities.
- Grow capability among students, teachers, families/whānau, and leaders to analyse and use a range of data sets to improve learning environments in ways that resolve achievement challenges
- Grow lateral learning among students, teachers, families/whānau, school/kura, and community leaders to compliment structured academic learning.
These will be improved through using evidence to create innovation and new knowledge about what works to achieve equitable outcomes for priority learners, recognising the contribution of student voice and using integrated self-review processes within schools/kura and across the network to ensure continuous improvement.
Schools should be changing identified learner, teacher, leader, and community practices in response to their student achievement challenge.
Delivery design (who, how long, interactions)
Phase 1: LCN infrastructure
- Sense making of LCN methodology.
- Confirm network's interest to develop?
- Confirm terms of reference.
- Data analysis to identify achievement challenge.
- Agree package of provider support for network.
Phase 2: Understanding
- Participants learn and plan what to change.
- Students map their learning environments with teachers, family/whānau, school/kura, and community leaders.
- All participants identify change priorities, make plans for change at networks and school levels and the expected outcomes.
Phase 3: Implementation
- Confirm action plans with school/kura, BOT, family, whānau, community.
- Change learning practices, beliefs and processes.
- e-Learning infrastructure analysis needs and implementation of ICT support tools.
- Regular meetings to critique and change practice as cycle progresses.
- Network leaders conduct evaluative probes into each other’s practice and to check for action plan integrity.
- Measure impact on learner outcomes.
- Measure impact and improvement on teacher/leader/family/community outcomes.
- Review outcomes from changes, make, reflect upon priorities and develop new network and school plans.
How will the support contribute to classroom practice and school capability?
Schools with effective teaching and effective leadership have the inherent capability to undertake change in practice.
- The focus is on the learner.
- This means identifying learners below or well below in relation to National Standards and/or Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori, identifying what the most effective learning steps would be (based on learner, teacher, leader, and community needs and aspirations), designing and implementing changes in practice that will support the required acceleration in learner achievement.
LCN focus is on changing practices that contribute to learner under achievement so as to improve effective teaching for:
- All learners but in particular Māori, Pasifika, learners with special education needs, and learners from low socio-economic backgrounds. The teacher, as part of the network, will reflect on and evaluate the impact of practices.
Acceleration is described as the learner’s achievement showing a noticeably faster, upward movement than might otherwise have been expected by the trend of their own past learning; a rate faster than classmates progressing at expected rates in order to achieve equitable outcomes; and that it brings the learner achievement level to that consistent with, or beyond, a set of benchmarks or National Standards or Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori.
- The teachers and leaders involved in LCN have the motivation and support to change their teaching practices.
- The teachers and leaders involved in LCN have the capability to transfer learning to others in the school and network.
How will the support contribute to building educationally powerful relationships with parents, whānau/family, hapu, iwi, and community?
Networks will include all stakeholders in the school/kura environment. Parents, family/whānau, hapu, iwi, and community are key stakeholders. Networks will develop an infrastructure within which parents, whānau/family, hapu, iwi, and community will contribute to the achievement challenge definition, decide on the change levers and contribute to innovative solutions utilising expertise that may already exist in the community. Network members will be supported to do this, then will check with each other seeking evidence of this.
Fidelity elements (small groups, one on one, timing)
Networks will meet regularly at least twice a term as a whole group.
Small group work within schools/kura and communities will occur more frequently. Change processes for school/kura, leaders, learners and communities will be triggered continually.
Regional training involving network leaders will be delivered by the provider and will occur once per term.
How is support monitored and measured in terms of outcomes?
Schools develop a collective accountability using qualitative and quantitative data.
Accountability and reporting focuses on improvement criteria and learner outcomes:
- Student achievement data.
- School variance statement at the end of year to describe shifts to MoE.
- Annual plan to describe how the action plan will be implemented.
- Milestone reports written by provider/network and MoE describing outcomes and progress on LCN life cycle every six months.
What needs to be sustained?
- Applying the same principles/LCN methodology.
- Networks plan improvement and evaluate activity for the next year of cycle.
- Network leaders conduct evaluative probes into each others practice, learner outcome relationship.
- Network leaders contract expert support within existing school resources if required.
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Roles and responsibilities for the support
What are the conditions for successful delivery?
Provider
- Provide expertise in learning and change methodology.
- Focus on implementing change and evaluative probes.
- Focus on acceleration and self review.
School
- Active participation in all network and school/kura based learning.
- Have a clear focus on an achievement challenge resulting in equitable outcomes for our priority learners.
- Develop strengths in effective teaching practices using LCN methodology and effective leadership (organisational, instructional, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and inclusiveness and evaluative capability).
- Build powerful connections with family and whānau and wider community.
System/MoE
- Identify schools/kura/networks.
- Understand purpose and importance of the LCN infrastructure.
- Support schools/kura/networks to address their change priorities.
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