NSWSPC - Futures Paper

Preferred Futures for
Public Secondary Education in NSW

A series of projects by the NSW Secondary Principals' Council
to shape the future of Public Secondary Education in NSW.

Introduction

The NSW Secondary Principals' Council (NSWSPC) brings together in one professional body more than 450 principals leading high schools, colleges, community and central schools and other state schools with secondary enrolments within the public education system in New South Wales.

The most significant Council policy developed over the last decade has been the document Preferred Futures for Public Secondary Education in NSW (1999), which aimed at providing a framework for Council policy and a sound, futures-oriented basis for Council negotiations with governments, systems and other partners in public education policy development. It sought to identify and spell out a vision of a preferred future for secondary education in NSW as seen through the eyes of practising principals. It took over two years to develop, using a model which combined the best available futures expertise and wide consultation with secondary principals across the state.

The release of this 'Preferred Futures' document saw the establishment of an implementation team to drive the project recommendations forward, supported by the deployment of a secondary principal into the head office of the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) for the next four years plus project funding from the Department.

During 2000-2001 some of the achievements of the Preferred Futures Project included the establishment of a DET Secondary Education Taskforce to revitalise public education, and the implementation of school image projects, technology conferences for principals, online learning trial projects and a CD-ROM for principals on pedagogy and technology change.

In late 2001 an evaluation of the implementation of the 1999 Preferred Futures Project was undertaken. This evaluation indicated that while a number of areas for action had been addressed in the previous two years there were still a number of areas that needed much greater emphasis.

During 2002-2003 the Council's efforts in the Preferred Futures Project focused on learning, teaching and leadership. Major initiatives included pedagogy and leadership conferences, Council policy papers on pedagogy and leadership, contributions to major DET policies on pedagogy and leadership and the continuation of technology conferences for principals.

In 2003-2004 a highly significant project was undertaken to clarify the current and preferred future roles of secondary principals and specify the framework within which these roles could be best performed. The result was The Leadership of Secondary Education in NSW Public Schools (2004), which emphasised the critical importance of educational leadership as the heart of the role of the principal.

By 2003-2004, however, it also became apparent that the original Preferred Futures document needed to be revised, to take account of progress in the implementation of the Futures priorities first identified in 1999, plus the changes to the educational and political landscape in recent times. This led to a review of the original document and the subsequent publication of A Restatement of Preferred Futures for Public Secondary Education in NSW (2005).

The impact of the projects undertaken over the past six years as part of the Preferred Futures Project has been substantial. These achievements are documented in some detail in the 'Restatement' appendix A History of the Preferred Futures Project 1995-2005. In particular, the Council's own Preferred Futures Project was followed by similar or related projects by several other stakeholder groups, with the NSW Department of Education and Training developing its own 'Futures Project' for Public Education in NSW in 2004-2005.

In 2005 the Council has embarked on another major project called Sustaining Quality Schools, to address the fundamental flaws in the wider educational landscape in NSW.

The following documents currently comprise the Council's Preferred Futures Project:

1. Preferred Futures for Public Secondary Education in NSW (August 1999)

Download whole document (excluding appendices):

Preferred Futures for Public Secondary Education in NSW (15.8MB)

Download individual sections:

Executive Summary and Recommendations

Executive Summary and Recommendations (3.5MB)

Futures Project White Paper

Chapter 1 - Background to the Project (2.6MB)
Chapter 2 - Political / Education Interface (1.1MB)
Chapter 3 - Leading Change for the Preferred Future (1.7MB)
Chapter 4 - Preferred Futures Within Schools (4.8MB)
Chapter 5 - Contributors to the Futures Project (2.0MB)

Appendices

Appendix A, A1 - A6
Contributors and Participants
Appendix B, B1 - B6
Sources of Information on Educational Futures
Appendix C, C1 - C5
Futures Project Overview - Rationale, Methodologies and Technologies
Appendix D, D1 - D5
Overview of the Futurescan Methodology and Application to NSW Secondary Principals Council Futures Project
Appendix E, E1 - E14
SWOT Analysis, Initial Trends and Initial Strategic Options for each Team
Appendix F, F1
Sample Development of Trends from the Student Learning Team
Appendix G, G1
Sample Trends Cross - Impact Analysis from Student Learning Team
Appendix H, H1
Cross-Impact Analysis. Sample from Student Learning Team
Appendix I, I1 - I13
Three Educational Scenario Shells Developed by the NSW Secondary Principals Council
Appendix J, J1 - J3
Draft Reports from the Futures Project Teams - Strategic Options/Implications and Acts
Appendix K, K1 - K6
Strategic Options (Chapter 5) Analysis by Responsibility for Implementation