The Strategic Options listed below come from Chapter 4 of the Draft White Paper. They have been regrouped under various "Responsibility for Action or Implementation" headings. There is always some room for other opinions and negotiations as to who should share the responsibility for implementation.
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will work with the NSW Board of Studies to implement the following strategic options.
4.2.6 ensure that there will be a variety of ways for learners to achieve credentials and recognition of learning.
4.2.8 develop assessment processes that more accurately reflect student achievement.
4.4.1 develop as the basis of lifelong learning for all students a core curriculum , which promotes personal growth and includes the knowledge, skills and values needed to function effectively in a democratic, multicultural society.
4.4.2 develop statements of curriculum and perspectives for government schools which extend the core in directions consistent with the charter for government schools (e.g. equity, cross-cultural perspectives, etc).
4.4.3 provide in schools a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum, relevant to students' needs and based on research about the way students think, learn and understand.
4.4.5 base future curriculum documents and credentialling processes upon comprehensive standards frameworks applied across the full range of curriculum.
4.4.6 continue to develop courses of study appropriate to the changing needs, interests and aspirations of students in NSW and which lead to the credentialling of particular subsets of outcomes within the Board's standards framework and/or relevant industry frameworks.
4.4.7 provide for the recognition and endorsement of courses developed by schools, TAFE and local networks which meet established local needs and which lead to credentialling within the standards frameworks.
4.4.8 establish mechanisms by which student achievements can be assessed validly and reliably against the relevant standards frameworks for credentialling purposes. Students should have access to these assessments for the purpose of upgrading their status on a more frequent basis than external examinations provide at present.
4.5.11 incorporate in all syllabuses and associated assessment procedures processes which encourage:
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will work with the Corporate Services portfolio of the Department of Education and Training to implement the following strategic options.
3.2.2 allow principals to determine the mix of executive, teaching and non-teaching positions in their schools.
4.3.5 recognise the individual contexts of schools, reward quality teaching and acknowledge co-curricular activities in pay structures and working conditions.
4.4.9 maximise the use of technology by providing software for schools which links course content, outcomes and standards frameworks and which enables the tracking of student learning and reporting of student performance.
4.5.1 develop a comprehensive and well researched technology plan setting out the goals, strategies, actions and timelines for technology implementation in schools.
4.5.2 promote the benefits of technology as a tool to enhance teaching and learning and establish technology competency levels required by all teachers.
4.5.4 plan for the provision of training in the use of technology in learning for all teachers and future teachers and promote new approaches to pedagogy where teachers become curriculum "brokers" as well as subject specialists, facilitating learning through student-centred programs.
4.5.5 ensure the supply to all teachers of state-of-the-art computers for use in their classrooms, at their desks and at home. This would allow remote access to the Department network and services, training packages and other learning support materials.
4.5.6 extend the reach of the Department's common network infrastructure by providing schools with the on-going means to acquire appropriate hardware, and network cabling.
4.5.7 support and maintain the technology to provide multi-access to the network services for all students and staff.
4.5.8 train and place Information Technology Managers in all schools.
4.5.9 identify examples of best practice in using technology in teaching and learning and disseminate this best practice through various strategies including the Department's internet services.
4.5.10 involve teachers and industry experts in the development, acquisition and evaluation of user friendly software appropriate for use in classrooms.
4.5.12 encourage innovative uses of technology and imaginative teaching as key elements in reconceptualising the curriculum.
4.5.13 ensure all school leaders develop the high level of management and technological skills to implement the preferred future.
4.5.14 provide and support a standard set of managed services for users of technology in schools.
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will work with the Operations portfolio of the Department of Education and Training to implement the following strategic options.
3.2.4 ensure that policies and procedures are flexible enough to enable principals to provide effective and collaborative leadership within their own school.
4.1.2 establish action research projects on greenfield sites to reconfigure, refocus and reshape secondary education, using more flexible structures and resource agreements.
4.1.3 provide leadership and support for principals and teachers and schools to develop more open relationships and co-operative learning structures within schools.
4.1.4 establish projects to redevelop existing school sites to reflect the future needs of learning environments, based on pedagogical and technological changes and the welfare and learning needs of students.
4.1.6 develop more inclusive forms and measures of accountability which recognise social capital and learning outcomes.
4.1.8 develop and resource multi-faceted welfare programs, impacting on emotional, social, physical and moral problems, for adolescents. These programs need to link into the wider community of family and other youth support agencies, eg the Department of Community Services, Police, Juvenile Justice and Health.
4.1.9 facilitate greater professional interaction between staff from cross-sectoral groups who are involved with youth, eg DOCS, Police, Juvenile Justice and Health.
4.2.1 provide information on research into innovative practice in teaching and learning and provide resources to set up projects to model ways this research can be applied across schools and in particular learning areas.
4.2.2 develop learning networks and provide resources to bring school communities together to improve learning environments and student outcomes.
4.2.7 introduce greater flexibility to create a structure which allows for student progression on the basis of achieved outcomes.
4.2.10 ensure that every student has a compulsory learning program that may not involve schooling but will be part of the system of education.
4.2.11 employ personnel in schools to work with teachers in meeting the welfare and technological needs of students and establishing an environment in which all can learn.
4.3.1 redefine the role of the teacher in terms of the present and future needs of students, including the need for greater flexibility in the modes of interaction between teachers and students where both take responsibility for and are involved in decisions about learning; changes in pedagogy; and holistic approaches to learning.
4.3.7 encourage schools to explore alternative organisational structures, curriculum delivery and pedagogy and resource them to provide for the implementation, evaluation and publicity of these alternatives.
4.3.9 ensure resources are provided to support:
4.4.10 provide adequate resourcing in terms of physical facilities, technology, teaching resources, teacher development and web-based support to ensure access to the curriculum for all students.
4.5.3 establish as a pilot action-research project, the development of multi-user schools on a variety of campuses throughout the state. Such schools would have:
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will work with the Department of Education and Training and the NSW Teachers Federation to implement the following strategic options.
3.2.3 negotiate greater responsibilities for principals in the recruitment, selection, induction, ongoing training, management and separation of staff..
4.3.6 give schools increased responsibility, authority and resources to negotiate change in school organisation and staffing to better suit the changing needs of teachers and learners.
4.3.8 gain greater autonomy for schools in deciding their staffing needs, including the use of para-professionals and other support staff.
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will work with the Training and Development directorate of the Department of Education and Training to implement the following strategic options.
3.2.1 provide appropriate professional and managerial support for principals to allow them to focus more on pro-active educational leadership in their own schools.
3.2.5 develop structured and inclusive strategies to foster school leadership teams which respond to the needs of schools.
3.2.6 sensitise educational leaders to futures-oriented, alternate learning structures which will ensure their ability to develop and manage the most appropriate educational structures for the learners in their care.
3.2.8 set in place specific succession policies and practices to facilitate and enable the development of school leaders for the future.
4.3.2 identify, monitor and ensure maintenance of professional teaching standards required of teachers now and for the future.
4.3.3 set in place frameworks to ensure the maintenance and improvement of ongoing teacher development at both an individual and system level.
4.3.4 collaborate with teacher training providers and government to ensure there are sufficient graduates who are educated and trained to meet future pedagogical needs, who are competent in the use of technology in learning, and have the knowledge and skills to work with all students.
4.3.10 establish frameworks to enable universities, the Department of Education and Training and other providers to support ongoing teacher training and development.
4.3.11 make teaching more attractive as a career for people at different life and career stages.
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will work with principals to implement the following strategic options.
3.2.7 enable the executive, team leaders and other teachers, parents and students to take an active role in the leadership and management of the school by developing their leadership skills and understanding of leadership within a futures-oriented context.
4.1.1 reconceptualise the learner, the learning environment and how life-long learning can be promoted.
4.2.3 enable schools to develop strategies which will allow students more flexible access to learning while preserving the vital need for the learner to personally interact with the teacher and other learners.
4.2.4 develop a learning community in which learners, teachers and parents have an understanding of learning and agree on appropriate strategies which will optimise student learning outcomes.
4.2.5 support schools in providing learners with detailed, appropriate, individual learning programs based on syllabus documents and including extra-curricula learning.
4.2.9 implement holistic approaches to learning and teaching which help students to apply their learning to a variety of situations.
4.4.4 establish locally-based networks involving parents, students, industry bodies and other education providers, to ensure that the overall curriculum offering meets the needs, interests and aspirations of students and that curriculum delivery is as flexible and efficient as possible.
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will order its own affairs to implement the following strategic options
2.3.1 strengthen Council's role in the development of public education policy by:
2.3.2 create a climate of dialogue, negotiation and partnership with the Department of Education and Training, the Board of Studies and the government to:
2.3.3 strengthen relationships between the Council and:
2.3.4 develop a media strategy at local and state levels to:
4.1.5 encourage and support flexibility in the way schools operate and manage their learning environments.
The NSW Secondary Principals Council will work with schools to implement the following strategic options.
3.2.9 foster leadership in students through support programs, including the Students' Representative Council, peer mediation, peer support, Duke of Edinburgh, mentoring and other leadership development schemes.
4.1.7 develop systems to collect valid data concerning our learning community and the skills to analyse and respond to this information in a positive change culture.