On the eve of the announcement of the third intake of Independent Public Schools the Department of Education held a meeting to explain the public tender process for the Evaluation of Independent Public Schools Initiative 2011-2013. The tender is being offered within the parameters of $150,000-$400,000. The forum was led by, Director for School Innovation and Reform, Mr David Price.

It appears that there is already an expectation that this review will consolidate the policy position of self managing schools, a small business model, as the superior alternative to traditional public schools. The Government representatives critiqued the traditional centralised system as being inadequate as, in their view, it had not delivered desired outcomes in student performance, financial accountability-never enough money, and principals are not happy, over worked and stressed.

The potential tenders were advised  not to reproduce a report in the vein of the Curtin publication, the Fitzgerald Report “Putting the Public First, Part Two, Independent Public Schools ”, July 2011 which was a described as ‘awful’. ‘Awful in many ways, specifically as it did not reference us, the Department of Education,’ and was in the view of Mr David Price, “a literature review”, a review of an external nature.

In defining the scope for potential tenders, a literature review was considered relevant.  On responding to a question of clarification as to the necessary consultation of key stakeholders - parent representatives, teacher representatives and teachers’ union, the Government’s position was that there is no such expectation. The scope was not prescribed. Rather the reviewer may consult with a diversity of parties including parents and teachers. Our concern is that this open ended approach will avoid a critical analysis and confirm an ideological position as preferred by Government which is further articulated in their fiscal target 2012-13 financial year a reduction in spending of $34.993 million, (See Hansard March 2011).

The whole system reform with the gradual introduction of IPS is part of an international drive to market and corporatize public education. The long term outcomes of the application of this model elsewhere has seen the dismantling of the public education system, the reduction in resourcing of public schools and the transfer of workload and accountability to the local level. School leaders must begin to follow the debate and to be abreast of current educational thinking.

Professor Michael Fullan’s latest paper is on this topic, “Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform” April 2011.  Fullan clearly and succinctly articulates the view that the model for whole system reform, as adopted by United States & Australia uses the wrong drivers, and states that the wrong drivers are those that “on closer scrutiny can never have the impact it purports to produce.”

Professor Fullan elaborates on the key drivers and emphasises the imbalance in our collective approach as articulated in the 2008 MCEETYA agreement.

He notes the wrong drivers as:

• Accountability vs Capacity Building,
• Individual Quality vs Group Quality,
• Technology vs Instruction  and
• Fragmentation vs Systemness. 

Professor Fullan comments on the driver he calls, ‘systemness’; making special reference to our whole education system, and the vulnerability of our private/public structure. Australia’s education system is at a level of complexity which makes it a fragmented system bound for failure. Fullan refers to Australia, saying “As in the US, the reform strategy is to drive reform by better standards, assessments, monitoring intervention and development. “

In conclusion Professor Fullan implores a commitment to the right drivers where “learning & teaching become driven by individual and collective intrinsic motivation that has permanent staying power”.

As the scope, methodology and data are to be a nebulous component in the IPS review, we can only hope that the expertise of a world renowned educational leader such as Professor Michael Fullan, will be a consideration in the evaluators’ literature review on the Independent Public Schools Initiative.

Professor Fullan’s paper is available for purchase via Centre for Strategic Education Victoria (CSE), however I have managed to secure a summary of the paper attached below.

The latest Western Teacher refers to ‘ The great IPS Scam ’ and that ‘awful’ report by Dr Scott Fitzgerald, it is well worth a read.