While Fullan outlined six ideas for implementing a successful change initiative, the three ideas chosen for this discussion are “Define Closing the Gap as the Overarching Goal”, “Recognize that all Successful Strategies are Socially Based and Action Oriented”, and “Assume that Lack of Capacity is the Initial Problem and then Work on it Continuously”.
Define Closing the Gap as the Overarching Goal
The first idea of defining closing the gap as an overarching goal (Fullan, 2016, p. 47) relates to a range of problems that exist in the society – the contrasts in performers like the rich and the poor, boys and girls, ethnic groups, individuals with special education. The gap between the two opposites is to be closed to achieve effective change in education.
Paul Barton explored the concept of the gap in education, why it persists, as well as how the move towards the gap elimination can begin. In order for the successful change initiative in education to be implemented, both school and non-school factors should be taken into account. However, it was evidenced by the research that he non-school factors like the family environment are much more important (Barton, 2004, p. 10).
Therefore, the change initiative to define closing the gap as the overarching goal can be targeted at promoting peaceful and supporting relationships within families to positively influence students’ achievements at school, and, therefore, downsizing and subsequently closing the existing gap. One of my colleagues has had some experience working with children whose parents were in need of financial aid.
One such child was seriously malnourished and reported not getting much sleep. The teacher correctly (and timely) assessed the student’s needs and contacted their family. The family received the teacher’s suggestions on how the situation could be changed: my colleague helped them find local employment and welfare agencies and a family support service. As far as I know, these actions improved the financial situation in the family and prevented the student from lagging behind.
Recognize that all Successful Strategies Are Socially Based and Action Oriented
The second idea calls for recognizing that all successful strategies are based on the action and the social environment. The core of this strategy relates to improving relationships, which is a challenging task (Fullan, 2016, p. 48). Since it is a great challenge, the collaboration between different members of the society can result in bringing confidence as well as the “winning streaks” supported by such collaboration (Kanter, 2004, p. 8).
Thus, to achieve success in the process of the change initiative, there should be tight collaboration supported by concrete actions as well as the social background. Because some of the primary determinants of well-being and motivation are the social status as well as the quality of the social relationships, change initiatives, especially in the sphere of education, should also originate from the societal perspective. For example, to improve the educational situation in school, a leader may encourage teachers to build stronger social relationships with one another to become unified in their practice.
At the baseline, collaboration can be started with the staff room interaction and sharing: an informal setting creates bonds and facilitates best practice sharing. Voluntary professional learning communities (PLCs) are another, and somewhat more organized option to promote collaboration: coming together to discuss a specific topic, teachers can learn and put what they learn into practice.
Classroom coaching, wherein a coach assists a teacher in implementing new practices and provides them with feedback, is another factor encouraging collaborative practices. In coach-led cross-discussions in scheduled meetings, teachers learn to be accountable and track each other’s knowledge change. Furthermore, by sharing similar ideas, teachers will then collaborate to achieve a set goal that can only be reached with the implementation of particular actions. Without collaboration and social support, there is a very little possibility that the change initiative implemented by teachers will be successful.
Work Continuously on the Lack of Capacity
Fullan (2016) defined this idea as another powerful and action-based initiative, which relates to the capacity building (p. 49). It can be assumed that a particular action plan is not working just because there is the lack of capacity for its improvement, or there is no belief that the situation can be changed for the better. Therefore, in such situations, there is a need for increased motivation for all participants of the plan or at least for the majority in order to achieve sustainable success in the change implementation.
The role of teachers in implementing changes in education plans is hard to overestimate. Still, the participation, specifically the lack of it, can present challenges. According to the studies conducted by Bate, Robert, and Bevan (2004) on the participation of employees in the process of radical change, the employees were reluctant to participate because they had limited knowledge of what the change plan contained and how – if at all – the changes might impact their work experience (p. 63). However, once the plan began to be implemented, the levels of their expectation had risen. Therefore, if there is a lack of capacity to participate in a change process, such capacity will appear in the process.
Working continuously on the lack of capacity is what can make the change process successful. For example, if teachers do not have the belief that a particular change plan to increase students’ performance will succeed, there is no point in trying to prove them wrong. New ways to overcome the lack of capacity will be found in the process of plan implementation, which is why the teaching personnel should be motivated to continue working on it. For example, Jenkins Elementary School teachers in Lawrenceville, GA, were “emotionally sensitive” after the change of principal and reluctant to switch to inclusive education model because its vision did not correspond to their values (Armstrong, 2011, p. 1). As soon as they saw significant improvements, they adopted a more participatory approach.
Conclusion
To summarize, the analysis of the three ideas for implementing a successful change initiative has shown the importance of minimizing the gap that exists between different societal layers, the value of collaboration for implementing an action-oriented plan, as well as the need for encouraging change implementation even if there is a lack of capacity initially.
Since the sphere of education still requires significant improvements, especially when it comes to reducing the gap between students’ achievement, the propositions made by Fullan can be used separately and still be effective. However, some situations can call for a systematic approach (the one that views education program as an integrated whole, with collaboration present on all tiers: students, teachers, coaches, principals, and the community); thus, a combination of such ideas can become the most appropriate solution.
References
Armstrong, A. (2011). 4 Key Strategies Help Educators Overcome Resistance to Change. Tools for Schools, 14(2), 1-7.
Barton, P. (2004). Why does the gap persist? Educational Leadership, 62(3), 8-13.
Bate, P., Robert, G., & Bevan, H. (2004). The next phase of healthcare improvement: what can we learn from social movements? Quality Safety Health Care, 13(1), 62-66.
Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Kanter, R. (2004). The challenges of leadership: Interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Strategic Direction, 20(6), 7-10.