 
Week 4 - Local School Management
|  | Caroline Springs: Defying the Basalt of Old Ideas |
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Listing of Papers | |
MS GABRIELLE LEIGH
Victoria, Australia
WITH THE PACE of discovery, the texture and nature of life is changing daily. The school environment needs to lead the change process with educational imperatives aimed at continual improvement in teaching and learning. Constant discovery of the best possible learning environments for our students is fundamental. As educators, the stance should be globally-oriented, forever searching for new ways to provide better access to lifelong learning and enhanced teaching practice. As Michael Fullan argues, change is a journey not a blueprint.
In Victoria there is large degree of local school management. Within individual school contexts the idea of developing school partnerships is increasingly relevant. Central to this condition is a critical understanding of the extent of possible partnerships. Michael Fullan proposes that schools need to evolve and develop in two main ways, by going deeper and going wider. In this discussion there is an exploration of one way these dimensions can translate into reality. The new structure under scrutiny challenges traditional modes of operation within our Australian context.
A New Educational Design
An opportunity to build creative partnerships has been taken at Caroline Springs, in Victoria, at the Brookside Learning Centre. Three schools are sharing a site of land designated for education. There is a presence from each school sector: the government, the independent and the Catholic. Three schools, The Brookside School, Mowbray College and Christ the Priest started functioning on this site in January 2000. Already, every student in the educational complex has benefited from joint activities and organisation.
The partnership has added significance for two schools, in particular. The Brookside School and Mowbray College have established a real capacity to create an authentic sharing environment. Money has been combined from the public and independent sectors to create a new formula for the use of buildings and curriculum resources.
This innovative learning environment is part of a newly created community in the western suburbs of Melbourne, which is twenty kilometres from the centre. The creation of a world class learning community at Caroline Springs has been the result of extensive planning between key education providers and property developers. In 1997 an Education Working Party was established to devise strategies and develop a new notion of education. Support in concept development came from the Delfin Property Development Group, the project developers, who have established a community perspective in real estate development throughout Australia. The intention was to build three schools to act as the fulcrum and centre for a potential new community.
The Caroline Springs Education Services Working Party identified a number of desirable attributes for a 21st century learning community:
- a commitment to lifelong learning;
- a philosophy of sharing and collaboration between all educational providers;
- a commitment to exploring new forms of ownership and structures of the provision of educational services; and,
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- optimal use of new informa/tion technologies in the learning process.
At the time of writing, there are only 700 residents out of a possible 25,000 living in Caroline Springs. The initial sizes of the schools allow for the real development of two-way partnerships. Typically, a new housing estate has sprawling development and the infrastructure of education comes later. In this unique circumstance, the schools have been deliberately placed in a pivotal position to help guide the growth, direction and cohesion of the community. This is in contrast to what happens in established schools, where existing pathways usually mean a resistance to the excavation of new ones.
Developing a Unique Partnership
Over many months, key personnel from the Department of Education, Employment and Training and Mowbray College met and developed the core of the future educational environment. Dialogue was encouraged as partners came on board. The result was a unique arrangement for the state of Victoria. The Brookside School shares facilities with a campus of Mowbray College. On less land than is usually allocated, a total of $4.5 million has been spent on shared buildings, which include an Administration and Gallery area, a Visual Arts and Technology Centre, a Performing Arts and Music Complex, a Community Resource room, a Multi-Media Centre and a Leisure Centre. The buildings are arranged around a central shared grassed courtyard, known as The Agora. To the other side, there is an area known as Centenary Square. This will be further developed into childcare and retail food premises. The students have access to these 'state of the art' facilities because of the innovative sharing arrangements and joint use agreements between Mowbray College and the Brookside School.
The Day-to-Day Reality
With the scope and range of the facilities, the potential to enhance the learning environment for students is greatly improved. The physical layout looks wonderful but the critical issue is: 'how does it really work?' The underpinning rationale is held together by a detailed joint use agreement which has been developed in consultation over time with key players. The joint use concept requires carefully laid out guidelines and understandings. From the beginning, regular meetings addressed a range of emerging issues by setting clear agendas and working towards shared goals. The number of people within the working group is small and each party has equal representation. The overriding orientation is that challenges can be resolved through dialogue, rather than requiring independent arbitration.
The notion of flexible learning spaces is being promoted. This concept is not new but the Brookside facilities actively encourage creative solutions. The schools aim to be connected and responsive. Within the heart of the Brookside Learning Centre, a room for community use has been designed. Again, the symbolism forms the reality. The community presence was tangible from the outset of the school's inception. This facility also provides another useable school space.
The nature of this established working model reflects the sheer range of possible connections. The 'ground up' provisions, generating creative partnerships, act as a prototype and conduit for future associations.
Prime People Essential
There are a number of prime people required to translate the vision into the reality. Motivated and enthusiastic staffs are integral factors for successful learning structures within the Brookside Learning Centre. The absolute imperative of staff is their ability to work as flexible team members, with a variety of people, whilst embracing the concept of change. Access to meaningful shared professional development activities across the schools is desirable in establishing planning strategies and a work climate. The clear aim is to develop an environment which values complementary skills across the sectors, optimising the talents of individuals from the three school contexts. A rich and extensive professional climate is being nurtured.
With these new arrangements, many issues are being explored and tackled. Some issues are proving more difficult and will be monitored, addressed and evaluated over time. The staffs have joint meetings and plans have begun to co-ordinate and optimise curriculum program delivery over the three schools.
The Leader's Role
The leader's role is to drive the engine and keep the parts working smoothly. It is a highly complex task needing negotiation and belief at each point in the journey. A key function is to establish alliances and two-way partnerships at many levels. A leader should facilitate connectedness and search for pathways in an open-minded way. This is complex task with staff of one school, but across two to three systems the chasm can be immense. The leader's capacity and motivation must remain focused. Each leader's vision should be regularly articulated and dialogue is vital to enhance understandings and incorporate aspects of a multifaceted community. The complexity of the learning cycle is extensive.
The School's Clients
Already at the Brookside Learning Centre, students are learning across sectors in certain subject areas. Developing curriculum together and taking advantage of numerous opportunities for the extension creates a richer teaching and learning setting. The first significant shared curriculum policy is the Welfare Policy. Devising the rights and responsibilities of the students on site has been a vehicle for communication. Students have developed ownership and a shared sense of purpose towards their Code of Conduct. There is consistency across the schools, flowing into the larger community. From an organisational perspective, significant time and money can be saved in sharing service provision such as out-of-school hour's care or even just the canteen.
The organisation at The Brookside Learning Centre challenges existing beliefs and structures found in schools. A key question posed is: 'how can it succeed?' Because of the quality and commitment of the key players it can succeed. Current research findings concentrate on the importance of relationship between the student and the teacher for effective learning. These students have access to a highly enhanced education complex. Rather than looking for the pitfalls, educators need to examine the real benefits culminating from this model in educational delivery. However, the journey must be continually measured over time, in terms of student success in both academic and social domains, community connectedness and maximising scarce resources.
Parents form a vital role in the partnership of education at the Brookside Learning Centre. As part of the larger community, the parents are beginning to work together with a common aim to provide a great learning environment. There are twice as many people to achieve given tasks and to attend such functions such as working bees. Cross-sectoral understanding is encouraged. Courses are being planned to inform and connect with the community.
Information and Communications Technology
From its inception, a key part of the Community Development Strategy was the optimal organisation of Information and Communications Technology. As a priority, students will access networked computers at school and at home. Due to the shared nature of facilities, there will be twice as many computers as normally provided by one school's computer budget available for students' use. With high level advice from the Department of Education, Employment and Training's Information Technology division, the Brookside Learning Centre is developing a comprehensive ICT backbone. The networked environment has been built from the front-end, with a multitude of data points throughout the school. From the very beginning, technology floods the school environment and integrates seamlessly into the curriculum.
In fostering flexible lifelong learning, ICT can provide the necessary connections with the local community. The nearby houses have the potential to communicate with the school via an Intranet and the Internet, again enhancing home and school partnerships. A new age, in a communication within a community, is being launched. ICT will increase the potential for going deeper and wider at Caroline Springs.
In order to nurture and sustain the learning environment over time, emerging key attributes have been identified:
- open-mindedness to capture all possibilities;
- belief in people to promote change processes; and,
- honest dialogue and reflection upon what has happened and what could be.
These variables have applicability for any school. Yet this model reinforces their necessity in providing leadership and establishing an innovative design for 21st Century schools.
Defying the Basalt
The educational community at Caroline Springs is starting to go wider, and despite the rocks on the basalt plain in Melbourne's western suburbs, the growth is going deeper. With creative structures informed by new paradigms, resources are being used to maximise potential. The principles of sharing, collaboration, flexibility, joint developments, pooling of resources and responsiveness towards the attainment of lifelong learning are taking effect. Progress will be monitored carefully over time to gauge success markers, and its sustainability will be captured. As an innovative prototype the community of Brookside has the real potential to focus on authentic learning structures and a new level of connectedness.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ms Gabrielle Leigh was appointed the inaugural Principal of The Brookside School, a state government school at Caroline Springs, which opened in January 2000. The school frames a new concept in Victorian education, focusing on lifelong learning strategies for the whole community. Formerly, she was principal of Greensborough Primary School for over five years, developing many aspects of the Victorian curriculum, in particular, literacy, numeracy, Japanese and technology. Gabrielle is currently undertaking research to investigate the potential of educative partnerships. She is involved in doctoral work examining the extent of enhancing communications and establishing school and community partnerships. Gabrielle is also undertaking doctoral work at the University of Western Sydney, in NSW.
Gabrielle Leigh can be contacted by email at:
Leigh.Gabrielle.GA@edumail.vic.gov.au
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REFERENCES
Caroline Springs Education Services Working Party, (1997), Findings and Recommendations, November, Victoria.
Delfin Property Group (1997). What is real, achievable and right for Caroline Springs? Delivering educational services to a 21st century community.11 April, Victoria.
Fullan, M., (2000). Change Forces at the Millennium. Paper presented at Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, 24 April 2000.
Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M., (1998). What's Worth Fighting for out There? ACEA, Australia
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