Can a quality school be created in a poverty-stricken area? Is it possible when school fees are R50 a year? The answer is: ”Yes!” Many schools in informal settlements are giving learners an excellent education. These schools have a guiding principle: quality.
What is the school quality principle? The principle states that all give their best to improve the school continually. The South African Quality Institute (SAQI) has designed a quality-in-education model. It consists of five pillars. The model was designed by educators as well as quality practitioners from outside education. A school aiming to be of excellent quality can achieve it by using the model.
Quality-in-education model: Each pillar focuses on a core aspect that is crucial to building a quality school. The five pillars are:
Values
Ethical values define a good school. They give it focus and direction. Commonly found values in the quality school are: honesty, kindness, respect and perseverance.
Who decides on the values?
Everyone! Staff need to decide on those values that will define the whole school. Traditionally, teachers have made class and school rules. Why not let learners be part of the process? When learners help make the rules, there’s a high level of ”buy in” and acceptance.
Leadership
Leadership doesn’t sit solely in the principal’s office. Different situations require different leaders. The administrative, maintenance and professional staff should take on leadership roles in their fields of expertise. Parents can take up leadership positions in school governing bodies. There’s no one ideal leadership style. In one situation the teacher might be democratic (David, what animal would you like to do research on for your project?) or in another, assertive (David, you will hand in your project by Friday home time.). Quality schools use a wide range of styles. Learners need leadership training. When learners are in roles such as class and sports team captains, children’s councillors, monitors and the like, they learn ”hands-on” leadership skills.
School improvement plan
”Have no goals and you will be goalless,” is a management one-liner. The quality school is in a state of continuous improvement. Attention should not be given only to capital projects such as building new classrooms. There’s also the need to make plans, for example, in areas such as staff development and new teaching methods. Often worthwhile plans are debated, discussed, drawn up and… discarded! Plans should be living, vibrant documents that become the spur to action.
Communication
Communication is much more than the giving of facts and figures to others. It’s a relationship. Communication can be accurate, but cold and distant. However, it can also be warm and helpful. The quality school has a special communication style. Friendliness permeates the school. There is an absence of fear in a climate of friendly mutual respect. No organisation is conflict-free. Bullying in any form is dealt with assertively. Disagreements are solved by tackling the issue and never the person. Learners and staff are trained in conflict resolution skills. The bigger the school, the more difficult it is to ensure that everyone gets the message. A wide range of verbal and written methods are used to ensure efficient and timeous communication.
Tools and techniques
Tools and techniques help implement plans. They’ve been used with great success in business and industry and adapted for schools. One example is that of benchmarking. A school benchmarks when it studies what happens in other schools and outside education. It looks for best practice. Other examples are brainstorming, circle time, Edward de Bono-thinking skills and PDSA (plan, do, study results, act again) cycles.
By using tools and techniques, a school moves beyond the talking and planning stage. It moves into action.
The year 2007 was tough for education. There was grave dissatisfaction over teachers’ salaries. They went on strike and lessons were disrupted. Now it’s time for new beginnings. It’s time to put quality into every classroom and every school of our land.
Dr Richard Hayward has been in senior management for 34 years, including 21 in principal posts. The SAQI website, www.saqi.co.za, has school leadership and management articles