Samvirkni er af mörgum talin vera grundvöllur farsæls umbótastarfs sem leiðir til
aukins árangurs í námi nemenda. Markmið rannsóknarinnar sem hér er til umfjöllunar
er að öðlast skilning og þekkingu á því hvernig samvirkni í stefnumótun í skólamálum
birtist í þremur sveitarfélögum á Íslandi, með því að varpa ljósi á samskiptaform
og vinnubrögð sem gætu stuðlað að eflingu og varanleika umbótastarfs. Kastljósinu
var beint að áhrifum stefnumótunar sveitarfélaga á umbótastarf í skólum og hvernig
vinnubrögð við stefnumótun og innleiðingu gæti mögulega ýtt undir eða hindrað
varanlegar umbætur í skólastarfi að mati fræðslustjóra, skólastjórnenda og kennara.
Byggt er á kenningum um menntastjórnun sem hvetja til heiltækrar nálgunar
til umbóta og eflingar forystu kennara svo drifkraftur þeirra og þekking nýtist í
skólaþróun. Heiltæk nálgun tekur til flestra sviða skólastarfs og stuðlar að samvirkni
(e. coherence) einstaka áhrifaþátta, t.d. námskrár og kennsluhátta. Raunveruleg völd
sveitarfélaga felast í samspili við stjórnendur og kennara skólanna.
Gagna var aflað með viðtölum við fræðslustjóra sveitarfélaganna, skólastjóra og
meðlimi þróunarteyma þriggja skóla sömu sveitarfélaga. Einnig var rýnt í skólastefnur
sveitarfélaganna og skólanna og ýmsar skýrslur um skólastarfið. Gögnin voru skoðuð
með tilliti til þriggja þátta: (1) hvernig skólastefnan verður til, (2) hvaða aðferðir eru
notaðar við innleiðingu hennar og (3) hvernig stefnan birtist í viðhorfum kennara og
í skólastarfinu.
Niðurstöður benda til að meiri líkur séu á samvirkni í þróunar- og umbótastarfi þar
sem unnið er eftir hugmyndafræði um faglegt lærdómssamfélag, stjórnendur veita
faglega forystu, kennarar eru hafðir með í ráðum og samskipti skóla við skólaskrifstofu
og fræðslustjóra byggja á trausti og fagmennsku. Þar sem miðstýring er meiri spyrna
kennarar frekar við fótum og upplifa skólastefnu sem kröfur um breytingar sem
jafnvel samræmist ekki hugmyndum þeirra um fagmennsku.
Policy planning in education is an important and complicated undertaking that
demands systematic work and extensive co-operation between actors to ensure
successful implementation. In this matter, many consider coherence and collaboration
to be the basis for successful educational development efforts that lead to increased
achievement in student learning (Hopkins, Stringfield, Harris, Stoll, &Mackay,
2014; Robinson, 2018). The aim of the research discussed in this paper is to gain
understanding and knowledge of how this coherence appears in policy work in three
municipalities in Iceland and in one school in each of the municipalities. The focus
is on how local government policy and methods of implementation might support
or hinder sustainable school improvements and how they might appear in school
practices on a daily basis.
The discussion is based on educational leadership theories that encourage a systemic
approach to reform, encompassing all levels of the system and different areas, such as
curriculum, teaching methods, leadership, and families. This systematic approach is
meant to support the coherence of all entities that influence teaching and learning
(Fullan & Quinn, 2016) and enhance teacher leadership and the professional skills
of those working towards the same purposes. Coherence is achieved through
collaboration and communication between actors at different levels rather than
through checklists or strict surveillance (Robinson et al., 2017).
Data was collected by interviewing school district leaders in the three municipalities,
one school principal from each municipality, and one development team from each
school in the respective municipalities. The developmental teams consisted of four
to six teachers, leaders, and department heads in the school. Other data included the
documents addressing the policies of districts and schools. The data was analysed by
seeking information on the following themes: (1) the making of the policies; e.g.,
where did it originate from and who participated; (2) the methods by which the
policies were implemented in schools; and (3) how the policies actually influenced
classroom practices.
The results revealed that coherence in policy and school development was more
apparent in one of the municipalities than in the other two. There, an approach
emphasizing a professional learning community was used to decide on policy issues
and methods of implementation. This approach was openly discussed by interviewed
participants. The principal practised instructional leadership, teachers were included
in decision making, and communication between schools and school district leaders
was based on professional discussion and mutual trust to a greater extent than in the
other two municipalities. There, policy decisions were most often taken by politicians
or at the central school office and presented and discussed with teachers and leaders in
the schools. The teachers felt overwhelmed by requirements for implementing many
different projects and complained about lack of preparation and support. As such,
the Robinson, Bendikson, Mcnaughton, Wilson, & Zhu (2017) findings about the
importance of communication in order to enhance coherence were supported.
It should be noted that the findings only apply to the three municipalities and
schools at the time when data was collected and therefore cannot be generalized
to other municipalities nor to the relevant municipalities where circumstances may
have changed. The municipalities differ in size, position, political focus, and history;
therefore, they should not be compared. The intention was to learn about how the
process of implementation from policy making to day-to-day schoolwork is achieved
as well as whether and how a municipality’s policy is reflected in the work and attitudes of teachers. The results should be beneficial for school authorities, school
districts, and schools and further encourage a collaborative approach in educational
development.
