Educational Change in Education and in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

Educational Change Introduction New approaches to education are taking place in response to the changes occurring globally. Examples of these kind of changes include a heterogeneous grouping of students, whole language, an interdisciplinary curriculum, learning teams which are cooperative, as well as initiatives that change the point of control for efficacy. This includes decision making which is shared, community governance systems, and site based management (Hord et al, 1987). Another important aspect of educational change is the alteration of the relationships among administrators, parents, students, communities, as well as the central administration. The improvement of schools in response to changes is the responsibility of local schools and increased accountability for learning outcomes of students. Additionally, local school boards are undergoing reactivation as a result of change. Furthermore, school leaders as well as policy makers in most international schools determine the kind of changes that take place and how they are required to occur at the local level. Purpose of Research Paper The purpose of this essay is to find out why educational change is an issue both in education and in the work place. In order to achieve this purpose, the paper will address the pressures schools face due to change, the diversity and degree of change forces impacting schools, and understand the direction for educational change and leadership. Previous Studies on Educational Change Huberman and Miles’ (1984) carried out a research about people in the process of change suggesting that a period of anxiety makes up the process of change, and that people normally change their practices prior to changing their understanding and beliefs. Huberman also examined an additional underlying issue in educational change by discussing power distribution. The main players in initiating change need to have the awareness of the politics involved in power during the process of change. Additionally, innovation concerns power and its redistribution and restructuring initiatives places its locus on shared decision making that opens the process of change to parents, teachers, as well as members of the community. Change also involves risk taking and it appears disorganized especially in the early stages since teachers, principles, and other staff members depart from their tradition and attempt new ways as well as strategies. Fullan (1991) states that change can take place in several levels; for instance, in the classroom, the state, and the district. Moreover, the process of implementing change may involve all these aspects. There can be changes that take place on the surface such as the use of new materials; changes that use new behaviors and practices such as new approaches in teaching; changes in deep structures affecting the understanding and beliefs of individuals participating in change (Fullan, 1991). An additional fundamental element in educational change is changing the relationship among individuals that take part in educational innovation. Glickman (1991) states that there are three ways in which people relate in the process of educational change: individuals begin to work in isolation and changes are made in isolation; for instance, initiated by school leaders working alone or in individual classrooms. People also work together by taking part in discussions, arguing, planning, exploring alternatives, sharing success stories and concerns. The third is that people can work in a friendly atmosphere, discuss their work, activities, and also school work. Diversity and Degree of Educational Change The review of existing literature has revealed that change encompasses several dimensions in the education system today. The most important of these all is globalization and its impact on educational change. This is because globalization carries with it all kinds of dimensions in diversification while affecting the national, international, regional, as well as the church and students needs with regards to change. Globalization and Educational Change Globalization is a force that recognizes the economy of the world, and the major resources for such an economy include information and knowledge (Sarason, 1990). Knowledge and information are normally transferred and shaped by local and national institutions and they are important in the shape and nature of opportunities in the education systems. This is because knowledge goes hand in hand with globalization hence globalization has a major effect on the transfer of knowledge. The kind of educational change that has occurred over the years especially in the classroom is the use of computers, and change in methods of teaching. The economic restructuring of the world economy as well as the powerful conceptions of ideology of the way in which the delivery of education should be implemented, supported by international institutions as a result of the process of globalization, has had a major impact in educational systems around the world. The manner in which the delivery of knowledge is carried out by teachers in the classroom is a crucial aspect of the production of knowledge. Notably, the classroom undergoes transformation as result of the forces of globalization. The increasing global competition at the economic levels continually makes the nation-state place its focus on economic policies that enhance global competition at the expense of policies that make stable the current configuration of the domestic political economy (Peters, 1987). Most governments are normally under pressure to reduce spending in education and figure out other sources of funding for expanding the educational systems. In the labor market, several governments feel the pressure of attracting foreign capital. This implies making a provision for a continuous supply of labor which is skilled. Furthermore, this transforms into pressure to raise the level of education in the labor force. Many individuals are increasingly investing in higher education levels due to the shifts of production in economy to the knowledge of producing products as well as processes. As the incomes of the labor offering higher education increases, the demand for university education also rises, hence making governments to widen their higher education and to increase the population of secondary school graduates attending post secondary schools. Moreover, countries that showed resistance to providing equal admission to education for young women have now fulfilled their need due to the demand for cheap educational labor. National educational systems have also been increasingly been compared to other international systems. This has resulted in an increased focus on the math and sciences curriculum, testing, and on satisfying the standards in which education is delivered. Such standards make up the bigger part of increasing accountability by determining knowledge production as well as utilizing such measures in assessing managers and teachers. Information technology has also been introduced in educational systems in order to aid in the expansion of quantity education at decreased costs by use of distance education and to deliver high quality of education through computer instructions and the internet. This has enabled students from various parts of the world to be linked in an international level. Transformational Leadership and Educational Change Managing change in school as well as enhancing it is one of the major challenges that school leadership face. As Fullan (1991) states, school leaders are required to comprehend the change processes taking place in their institutions in order to know how to manage them. The principals as well as other key school leaders should aid teachers and stakeholders in the establishment of efficient teams by the development of new organizational structures as well as the creation of a shared vision that is focused on real learning by the student (Little, 1987). Such an informed and inspired for of leadership is important in the success of schools. It is therefore important that leaders link with others in the district and the school and establish a connection of the goals of the school to the broad and deep mission of providing high quality in learning for all students. Such leaders also have to consider equity issues when implementing and developing change initiatives by asking themselves whether a proposed program will improve their access to higher order learning. Leithwood et al (1985) established a leadership model in education which has been a knowledge base as well as a point of references in transformational leadership for schools. The model is based on seven components which are shared goals, high expectations, rewards, building of culture, intellectual stimulation, goal sharing, and modeling. Figure 1: Transformational Leadership Model (Leithwood et al, 1985) The model does not make an assumption that only principle will provide leadership but it implies that such leadership can be shared, and it may be from teachers and the principal. Additionally, the model begins from various motivational assumptions. Components of behavior, for instance, intellectual stimulation, individual support, and vision make the suggestion that the model is based on the understanding of the needs of staff members instead of controlling them to the desired goals of the organization. Hence, the model aims at influencing people in ruling from the bottom towards the top instead of vice versa. Development of student skills in order to ensure the success of students and build their relationships with teachers and other individuals in the community makes up collaboration of school leadership (Brooks et al., 1998; 2004; Guthrie, 2001). Additionally, the distribution of leadership can make the management of leadership strong and aid in succession planning. The distribution of leadership across various people as well as organizational structures can aid in meeting the challenges involved with educational change and enhance school effectiveness. This can be achieved in formal ways such as through team structures as well as other bodies by the development of groups based in current needs and expertise (Peters, 1987). Goleman (1995) states that an aspect of effective leadership is that it require efficient communication of vision to all and the generation of energy with regards to this vision. This will also result in the creation of a positive image of the school. Lambert (1998) states that effective school leadership needs redistribution of authority and power since this may result in trust between the administration and staff. The level of trust is emergent because the administrators as well as teachers work together in order to be of benefit to the school hence resulting in good communication. In the similar manner, Bean (2000) states that communicating as well as keeping people well informed of changes and events is a major part of effective leadership. Conclusion The purpose of this essay was to find out why educational change is an issue both in education and in the work place. Change also involves risk taking and it appears disorganized especially in the early stages since teachers, principles, and other staff members depart from their tradition and attempt new ways as well as strategies. Information technology has also been introduced in educational systems in order to aid in the expansion of quantity education at decreased costs by use of distance education and to deliver high quality of education through computer instructions and the internet. This has enabled students from various parts of the world to be linked in an international level. References Bean, J. (2000). Foundations of Educational Leadership for Teachers. Lock Haven University Press. Brooks, S.R., Freiburger, S.M., and Grotheer, D.R. (1998). Improving elementary student engagement in the learning process through integrated thematic instruction. Unpublished master's thesis, Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 421 274) Fullan, M.G., & Stiegelbauer, S. (1991). The new meaning of educational change (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press. Glickman, C. (1991, March). The League of Professional Schools. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, San Francisco. Hord, S.M., Rutherford, W., Huling-Austin, L., & Hall, G.E. (1987). Taking charge of change. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Huberman, M., & Miles, M. (1984). Innovation up close. New York: Plenum. Little, J.W. (1987). Teachers as colleagues. In V. Richardson- Koehler (Ed.), Educators handbook (pp. 491-518). White Plains, NY: Longman. McLaughlin, M.W. (1990). The Rand Change Agent Study revisited: Micro realities. Educational Researcher, 19(9), 11-16. Miles, M.B. (1983, December). Unraveling the mystery of institutionalization. Educational Leadership. Peters, T. (1987). Thriving on chaos: Handbook for a management revolution. New York: Knopf. Sarason, S. (1982). The culture of the school and the problem of change (rev. ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Sarason, S. (1990). The predictable failure of educational reform. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books. Lambert, L. (1998). Building leadership capacity in schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. Read More