by Dr Dan Gilfillen
Working in bilingual and international schools around the world for the last 16 years, one area of leadership has become apparent to me as a crucial element of leadership: sustainable change management. While readers of the LYIS Principal’s Blog may be well versed in sustainability (a big term to unpack) related to curriculum, community, campus, and finance, and in change management, I rarely hear discussions about how to best ensure that initiatives brought to or created in our communities endure well after inevitable leadership departures.
I have not conducted a deep dive into research on retention data for international school leaders (though I did hear at a conference recently that, for principals, it is an average of 3.5 years, according to ISC research, which matches my experiences). So, I urge you to ask yourself a few questions:
– If you are a current school leader, how long have you been in your role?
– How many leadership turnovers have you witnessed in your current and previous schools in the last 4-5 years?
For me, the answer to the first question is 3.5 years and for the second question is well over 10 – the majority of which come from divisional leadership, usually principals.
I am confident that we have all seen it at different points of our careers: a new principal or school leader begins the role by bringing in new initiatives – something that worked at their previous school or possibly something they were tasked with from the governing board or host country education bureau. For example, a new model of teacher supervision and evaluation or a mandatory anti-bullying campaign. You may be reading this post while in one of the phases of a new initiative – or even the leader of that change. These initiatives (sometimes becoming a part of initiativeitus, a term I was so delighted to hear used in a workshop last year) can be a necessary driver of school improvement. Indeed, it is a major responsibility of school leaders.
In Coherent School Leadership, Kirtman and Fullan (2019) discuss the 7 competencies for highly effective leaders in action. Under the 5th competency, “has a high sense of urgency for change and sustainable results in improving student achievement,” a subskill is “builds systemic strategies to ensure sustainability of change.” They go on to explain that “if plans and strategies are not systemic, we can experience short-term results that can plateau, which may halt districtwide improvement or even cause student achievement to regress. If you are a short-term action person, while we applaud your courage to act, we implore you to think more ‘big picture’ for greater impact of improvement that reaches other schools and more students and that can last over time.”
In my short stint in the international school world, I have seen leaders transitioning in and out, and their initiatives often travelling with them. So, what are some measures we can take or advocate for to ensure that effective, evidence-based initiatives are long-lasting beyond any leadership tenure?
Link to Foundational Statements
It may seem obvious, but a surprising number of school initiatives are either separate or not explicitly linked to strategic plans, mission/vision statements, or values. When an initiative is not clearly linked, it will become a competing initiative. By including some key shared vocabulary from foundational statements in action plans, an initiative can get the required traction to sustain its full implementation.
Build into Observation/Evaluation/Retention Frameworks
If we want initiatives to be meaningful and long-lasting, connecting them to the systems that have “teeth” is crucial. No amount of planning can be more effective than linking an evidence-based best practice change initiative to systems that can motivate the change. A simple addition to competencies for an observation system can take an initiative from an addendum to a requirement – and keep it running long after you leave.
Create Champions of Change
When I reflect on change management, I often think of the local staff, the long-termers, who have seen and will see much more leadership change than me. What do you think their perspective is on some new change? Likely that keeping their head down for a few years will allow them to largely ignore its actions and implications. Then who better to focus on building champions of change with than local staff/long-termers? They are the backbone of the school, not to be ignored. If they are a ‘rock,’ move on to another.
Middle leaders are increasingly asked to take on the responsibilities of what used to be that of senior leaders (Abrams, 2021). Though they may be equally as transient as any other staff member in international schools, they wear multiple hats as teachers in the classroom and those responsible for leading their teams and ensuring the mission and vision are being enacted. Creating partnerships for change with middle leaders can support their leadership growth and the school’s improvement plans.
Create Action Plans
Creating and updating long-term action plans for initiatives is a great way to remove some questions about their sustainability. Do you know you are leaving next year? If so, you can co-edit a multi-year initiative plan with clear roles and responsibilities for the incoming leader. Some important elements for action plans include student learning impact measurements – is this change improving the reason we work: student learning?
Don’t “Water the Rocks”
With any change management, there will be those who resist the change, the “rocks.” Spend your time and energy building consensus with the teams/individuals who are on board, in priority: 1) governing board, 2) the leadership teams, 3) middle leaders, 4) teachers, 5) parents. You’re likely to find some rocks in these groups, too, but if you do, don’t water them. Move on with those change agents who understand the need for change and will work towards it. The rocks will come along eventually.
Building on LYIS’ mission to “Level Up International School Leadership,” what better way to create the ripple effect than promoting the best strategies to develop long-lasting systems that not only continue but thrive in our absence? It’s tough work for sure, but something that needs to be addressed. If the change makers in schools can’t advocate for and ensure sustainable change, who can?
Works Cited
Abrams, Jennifer (2021).Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing Up at Work. MiraVia, LLC.
Fullan, M., & Kirtman, L. (2019).Coherent school leadership: Forging clarity from complexity. Corwin Press.
Dr. Dan Gilfillen, Assistant Director of Student Support Services, K-12, Keystone Academy, Beijing.
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