Effective governance of complex systems requires i) Aligning policies, roles and responsibilities; 2) Designing constructive accountability mechanisms that ensure quality yet leave room for innovation; 3) Stimulating capacity building and participatory governance; 4) Pursuing a long term vision and continuous strategic thinking; 5) Managing the complex interaction between knowledge and governance

1. Education Governance
in Action
Lessons from Case studies
Published
9 September 2016

2. • Bridges theory and practice by
connecting major themes in
education governance to real-life
reform efforts
• Sets the agenda for strategic
thinking in modern education
governance
2
Education Governance in Action

3. • Aligning policies, roles and responsibilities
• Designing constructive accountability mechanisms
that ensure quality yet leave room for innovation
• Stimulating capacity building and participatory
governance
• Pursuing a long term vision and continuous
strategic thinking
• Managing the complex interaction between knowledge
and governance
3
Effective governance of complex systems
Requires:

4. 4
Five elements of effective governance
focuses on processes, not structures
is flexible and can adapt to change
and unexpected events
works through building capacity, stakeholder
involvement and open dialogue
requires whole of system approach
(aligning roles, balancing tensions)
harnesses evidence and research to
inform policy and reform
Effective
governance:
Find out more:
Governing Education in a Complex World and Education Governance in Action

5. 5
A focus on processes, not structures
There is no ideal structure of
governance. Effective governance is built
upon dynamic processes that support
the structures in place.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 4

6. 6
Changing governance structures in
Sweden
Sudden changes in structures will not bring change about if the
necessary processes to support the changes are not in place.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 3
Sudden decentralisation
Lack of time to develop
strategies to manage new
responsibilities
Municipalities have difficulty
adapting to new
responsibilities
Lack of internal discussion in
municipalities
Ambiguity about
responsibilities
Shirking responsibilites
among municipal actors
Ad hoc governance
arrangements on municipal
level
Central government with a
'hands-off' approach
Accountability to the central
level remains largely
unenforced
Few capacity building
measures
Lack of communication
regarding municipal
responsibilities

7. 7
The flexibility to adapt to change
and unexpected events
Complex systems do not work in a linear
manner. Dealing with emergent, unexpected
phenomena requires flexible governance
arrangements and systemic learning.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 4

8. 8
Working to improve weak schools in
the Netherlands
Change in complex education systems can no longer be understood
through linear cause and effect. Policy interventions need to be flexible
and adapt to the context.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 3
Motivated
stakeholders
New staff hired
Education
improves
Praise builds
self-esteem
Students
behave well
School
collaborates
Teachers feel
pressured and
leave
Parents remove
children from
school
Image of school
worsens
Negative
inspection
results lead to
calls for change
Vicious cycleVirtuous cycle

9. 9
Capacity building, stakeholder
involvement and open dialogue
Successful governance ensures that stakeholders
communicate and collaborate towards a
common objective and have sufficient
capacity to deliver it.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 6 and 8

10. 10
Strengthening formative assessment in
Norway
Clear communication, leadership and high trust between stakeholders lead
to more systematic and sustainable outcomes
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 3
Clear understanding/integration of goals
Implementation
strategies become
more focused.
Establishment of learning networks
More effective
knowledge transfer
and peer-based
support.
Capacity Building
Online platforms and
archived
presentations support
peer and network
learning.
Greater
potential for
successful
implementation
of policy

11. 11
Towards a new culture of evaluation in
Poland
A well-designed and communicated implementation strategy support
long-term vision and strategic thinking
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 3
Understanding of reform goals
Data and evaluation practices
used effectively
Local capacity sufficient
Noticeable development
towards a culture of evaluation
occurred
Misinterpretation of reform goals
Reorganisation of duties, but not
necessarily attitude shift
Concerns about lack of local
capacity not addressed
Limited progress in developing a
culture of evaluation

12. 12
Using a whole of system approach
A whole of system approach works to align
roles and responsibilities across the
system, improving efficiency as well as
reducing potential overlap or conflict among
its parts. This entails long-term strategic
thinking, leadership and trust.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 5, 7 and 8

13. 13
Reaching common quality standards in
Flanders (Belgium)
A participatory whole-of-system approach to governance may be the
best means of arranging the interconnections in multi-level, multi-actor
governance.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 3
Participatory governance to
foster common understanding
Shared agenda for
comprehensive implementation
Aligned capacity building
Feedback and policy flexibility
Diverging views on the nature
of attainment targets
Flawed implementation
Disconnected capacity
building initiatives
Missing part of the picture in
evaluation
Unity
Disunity

14. 14
Harnessing evidence and research to
inform policy and reform
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 1 & 2
Governance requires knowledge to have an
understanding of where to take action. Governance
processes support sustainable production and use of
knowledge.

15. 15
Improving local decision-making in
Germany
Involving stakeholders and building their capacity for data collection and
use to strengthen local decision-making.
Find out more: Education Governance in Action – Chapter 3
Local factors
contributing to
effective policy
implementation
Local political
support for
policy
Clear
communication
strategies
Broad
stakeholder
involvement
Concrete goals
and projects
More well-resourced
municipalities
(in general)
High financial and
administrative
capacities
Experience with
monitoring and
management
Culture of
co-operation
United local
political
structure

16. www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/gces