Managing Out Process in Australian Government Report

Introduction

Education is considered to be the central goal for the Australian government. Having reconsidered the values and the changes which have been provided in the modern world, the Australian public sector has decided to implement the changes in the education.

The main idea of the changes the Australian public sector tries to provide is to make sure that new Australian system of education promotes equity and excellence, students are successful in their learning achievements, confident and creative in their individual endeavour, and students are ready to become active and informed citizens (MCEETYA four-year action plan 2009-2012 2009). The improvement of the educational outcomes is the central goal for Australian government. The implementation of the Australian Curriculum as a part of the 10 year change in the Australian educational system is considered to be a long term process which requires attention and influence from other issues associated with the process.

The Context, Including Historical Background Leading Up to the Process Being Implemented

Melbourne declaration of educational goals for young Australians 2008 states that Australian governments commit to working with all school sectors to ensure that schools engage young Australians, parents, carers, families, other education and training proverbs, business and the broader community to support students’ progress through schooling, and to provide them with rich learning, personal development and citizenship opportunities (p. 10)

This statements shows use the main direction Australian government wants to cover in order to implement the reform. The understanding that the changes are really necessary and must be implemented faster has come earlier, but the main push which made Australian government to make serious steps was the National Curriculum Board Forum Into the Future.

Many problems have been discussed while the forum, but the central point in the sphere of education was declared by Chris Wardlaw in his speech about Shaping the student of the future.

The main idea of this speech was devoted to the principles of educational system in Hong Kong. He paid much attention to the learning reform which should be the heart of the educational reform in general. Chris Wardlaw said that the central changes should be devoted to the following:

• Students’ opportunities and capabilities should not be screened out too early,
• Primary school should be subject-based,
• People should be offered lifelong learning capabilities,
• Cultural and social values should be developed in students apart from the economical and political issues, etc.

This forum has shown Australian government the results which other countries experience with the changing educational system. This forum can be considered as the main historical background which encouraged the country for serious changes in the educational system. Still, understanding that such great work cannot be completed within one year, a 10 year plan has been created to make sure that he reform is progressing (Event record of the Into the Future – National Curriculum Board Forum 2008).

Process Outline with a Brief Description of What Was Actually Implemented in Terms of Managing Out With Various Parties

Following the Melbourne declaration of educational goals for young Australians (2008), the Shape Paper Consultation Report (2009) has been written to structure the process of the changes of the Australian Curriculum implementation. The National Curriculum Board has already implemented some actions which make Australian Curriculum reform closer.

The National Curriculum Development Paper was published in June, 2008. The main purpose of this document is to consider the context of the work and set the objectives.

The National Forum held in Melbourne on 27^th of June, 2008 where experts shared their experience and offered different ways for improving educational system and other spheres of life in Australia.

The Shape of the National Curriculum: A proposal for Discussion was released on 12^th of October, 2008 with the propositions about national curriculum.

A number of different documents were released from July to November 2008, like the papers devoted to pieces of advice for national forums devoted to English, history, mathematics, and sciences and the feedback of this initial advice. During the same period the forums on different levels, state and territory had to be provided to discuss the papers. The framing papers about for the subjects have been released on 20^th November 2008.

Many forums and focus groups worked during February and March in 2009 and at the end of April the finalised framing papers aimed at guiding curriculum development for the mentioned above subjects were released (Shape Paper Consultation Report 2009).

Having considered the MCEETYA four-year action plan 2009-2012 (2009), it should be mentioned that the following actions are going to be considered as the main goals up to 2012.

The Australian government plans to establish strong partnership with parents, carers and families which are considered to be the main influential powers in the life of children. Partnership with schools and teachers should also be considered one of the purposes up to 2012.

The next goal Australian government sets is the support of teaching qualifications and school leadership via different training programs, and other options. Setting a goal to strengthen early childhood education, the government plans to encourage students for studying more in the future.

Similar activities should be provided in the middle years in school in terms of students’ development and senior students in the relation to profession choice and encouraging for further studying.

Curriculum and assessment standards are going to become one more step on the way to implementation of the renewed Australian Curriculum.

Here are two more issues which should be implemented on the way to changed system of education in Australia which are directed at “improving educational outcomes for indigenous youth and disadvantaged young Australians, especially those from low socioeconomic backgrounds” and strengthening accountability and transparency” (MCEETYA four-year action plan 2009-2012 2009, p. 16).

So, this is the plan for implementation of the Australian Curriculum in the society. The Australian Curriculum (2011) website contains detailed information about the implementation of changed in each area of the knowledge (history, English, mathematics and science) and the changes which may be considered at each level of curriculum implementation.

The Challenges and Complexity for Management, Potential Risks and Why There Might Be Local Variations in Service Delivery in What Is Supposed to Be a Coherent and Consistent System

Having considered the main idea of Australian Curriculum, the background history and the plan for project implementation, it is possible to underline the main challenges the government may face, people, pace and time, process, priority, and philosophy (Noak 2010). A close consideration of each of these challenges may help the government agree of the steps which should be taken to avoid those.

The first challenge is people. Changes are always stressful for people and much time should be spent on explaining teachers the principles of new curriculum and the necessity to make feedback and participate in transition phase. Pace and timing is a second challenge.

Teachers, school government and the state should create the time frames for implementing the curricular at each specific school. State government should transform this responsibility on local committees.

The third challenge is connected with the choice of the issues which should be considered / implemented first, the prioritisation challenge. It is important to decide what actions are the most important and basic for the changes in the educational system.

This challenge creates the following one, the process challenge. It is important to face the problem of implementation process structuring. What processes should be restructured for sure? Which ones do not have relation to new Curriculum? And the last challenge is philosophic. Changing the system, the teaching philosophy should also be reviewed, and it is important to point to the main principles of those changes (Noak 2010).

Resource Implications, Including Financial, Associated with Addressing the Challenges

Therefore the number of challenges is high, they can be addressed by means of different resource implications. The Australian government should understand that the implementation of Curriculum requires much costs and expenses.

Turing to financial resources, it goes without saying that funding must be appropriate (about $100 million annually during the years of Curriculum implementation). Each school will require about $10,000 annually (Better Resourcing for Curriculum implementation needed 2010).

The government should make all possible to “avoid competing and overlapping resourcing and to maximize the quantum of resources that reach schools” (Requirements for implementing the Australian Curriculum 2010, p. 4).

APPA states that it is important to deliver financial resources to schools directly without local government intrusion if money is offered by the state. Schools, in return, should be accountable to the state about money utilisation. Furthermore, stating that each school should get about $10,000 annually, government should organise funding on the basis of the needs.

Many factors should be taken into account, like location, socioeconomic situation, school level and the difficulties faced while the Australian Curriculum implementation process. Still, financing should not be finished after the period of Australian Curriculum implementations.

It is important to plan the financial resources in case some schools will still have difficulties with the process of implementation (Requirements for implementing the Australian Curriculum 2010).

Possible Management Strategies

Kavanagh & Richards (2001) assure that to the changes in any sphere of social life is impossible without crucial restructuring of the central governmental department in general. The patterns of behaviour and incentives also require serious change. Perri, Leat, Seltzer, & Stocker (2002) agree that the changes in one sphere of social life conducted by the government should be supported with the changes in other related spheres.

The implementation of such long-term and global project requires much attention from different angles, so the media may be a good informer about the changes and the results of those (Economou & Tanner 2008).

Dwelling upon the management strategies which may be applied while the Australian Curriculum implementation process, many issues should be taken into account, like key staff with appropriate competencies, operating funds, capital funds and equipment, office space and fittings, telecommunications, appropriate policies, standard operating procedures, etc.

To combine all the elements mentioned above and make sure that the process is implemented in a proper way, a number of management strategies should be referred to.

First of all, the process should be implemented according to the stated requirements, on time and of the necessary volume (Towards an Australian Curriculum 2010). There is no need to be in a hurry. If the planned processes have already been completed, it is always possible to check those and feedback, as the consideration of the problems, if any, on the earlier stages always help cope with the problem in the future.

The effective implementation of monitoring and controlling strategies is crucial. The changes of the educational system in the whole country must be properly controlled. Local government should report to the state government about done procedures and completed tasks. The problems should be also noted.

Next, it is important to provide the revision of the Australian Curriculum implementation process as being a long term affair, it may be influenced by different social and political processes which may require the program change.

Conclusion

Thus, it may be concluded that the implementation of the Australian Curriculum is a long-term and hard process which involves great many activities. Moreover, covering many different aspects of social life, the Curriculum should correspond to each of them.

Having created a long-term perspective for Australian Curriculum implementation (10 years), the government is sure to face a number of challenged and complexities derived from different aspects and spheres involved in the implementation process.

Still, hard work and good management strategies can help complete the implementation in the stated terms and cover all the issues discussed in the Melbourne declaration of educational goals for young Australians (2008).

Reference List

‘Better Resourcing for Curriculum implementation needed’ 2010, Australian Primary Principals Association. Web.

Economou, N. & Tanner, S. 2008, ‘The Fourth Estate: Liberal Democracy and the Press’, in Media, Power and Politics in Australia, Pearson, Oxford, pp. 1-26.

‘Event record of the Into the Future – National Curriculum Board Forum’ 2008, National Curriculum Board. Web.

Kavanagh, D. & Richards, D. 2001 ‘Departmentalism and joined-up government: back to the future’, Preliminary Affairs, vol. 54, iss. 1, pp. 1-18.

MCEETYA Four-Year Action Plan 2009-2012 2009. Web.

Melbourne declaration of educational goals for young Australians 2008, Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, Melbourne.

Noak, M. 2010, ‘The 5 P challenge: Preparing for the Australian Curriculum’, Lutheran Education Queensland. Web.

Perri 6, Leat, D., Seltzer, K. & Stocker, G. 2002 ‘Interorganisational relations and practice’ in Towards Holistic Governance: The new reform agenda, Government beyond the centre series, Palgrave.

‘Requirements for implementing the Australian Curriculum’, 2010, Australian Primary Principals Association. Web.

Shape Paper Consultation Report 2009, National Curriculum Board, Commonwealth of Australia, Barton.

‘The Australian Curriculum’ 2011, ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Web.

‘Towards an Australian Curriculum’ 2010, Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW: Education and Training.