This document summarizes a conference on curriculum and school transformation. It discusses key influences from McKinsey research on improving education systems. It introduces Nashville's school improvement program involving self-review, planning, and a school support network. An example is given of redesigning high schools into career academies like Glencliff High School. The approach aims to make learning more relevant and engaging through partnerships with businesses and a focus on college and career preparation.

1. WHOLE EDUCATION
CONFERENCE
Whose curriculum is it anyway?
London
21st March 2012
David Crossley
david.crossley@learn2transform.com

2. “The English education system is a good system with some
outstanding features”
Michael Gove ASCL Conference March 2011

3. Key Influences:
McKinsey Research
• You can have the best
curriculum, best infrastructure
and best policies; but if you
don’t have the best people …
McKinsey – How the world’s best systems
come out on top
• All improving systems
(schools) use a similar set of
interventions at a similar
stage in their development.
Context determines how, not
what you do.
McKinsey – How the world's most improved
school systems keep ge?ng be@er
The U.S. and UK are improving but not at as
fast a rate as the best systems.

4. Raising Achievement with
• Always ask the question
Raising Dignity
does it raise achievement
Achievement and how do you know?
Transforming “It combined a sense of
• Embed use of
Learning performance data – know
urgency and a push for
every student and know
success with a culture of
their potential
optimism and inspiration".
• Sequence, harmonise
and integrate the short,
medium and longer term
Professors Hargreaves and Shirley
Boston College, 2006

5. How can we BEST contribute and make the most of
Current and Future Challenges facing our schools?

6. • For an innovative approach to school
improvement
• For something that wins hearts and minds and is
genuinely inspirational
• To build from what each school does well and
take schools from where they are to where they
might be
• To engage schools with and integrate short‐,
medium‐ and longer‐term strategies from the
outset

7.
Introducing our Nashville Program
A C21st Approach to sustainable school transforma<on

8. Why are we in Nashville?
An inside out approach to school improvement
• 5 Year contract which creates a partnership with Metro
Nashville Public Schools iniJally supporJng 33 High Priority
(elementary, middle and high)
• Offered a “philosophy framework and approach” that links
school self review, external review, planning and a school to
school network to support improvement
• Offered a school improvement rather than an accountability
program but using the rigor of an accountability program…
• Tennessee was one of the first Race to the Top (RTT) States
• Nashville has also adopted a radical “Whole EducaEon” style
approach to the high school curriculum designed to meet the
needs of “next generaJon” learners

9. School
Engagement
School Support Desktop
Network Analysis
The ISP Process
Improvement Navigator
Planning Self‐review
External
Review

10. School
Engagement
School Support Desktop
Network Analysis
The ISP Process
Improvement Navigator
Planning Self‐review
External
Review

11. Schools can do anything but
not everything
So abandonment and
deployment of resources
are key levers for change
This creates the capacity to
do something different

12. School
Engagement
School Support Desktop
Network Analysis
The ISP Process
Improvement Navigator
Planning Self‐review
External
Review

13.
Redesigning all High Schools
Glencliff High School
One of the Academies of Nashville
Part of the NaEonal Career Academy CoaliEon

14. Why and How?
WHY HOW – a focus on
implementaEon…
• To create next generaJon • Aligning resources – schools follow
learners ready for success common schedules and processes
wherever they go • Partnerships with businesses and
other stakeholders
• To jump start the college • Curriculum‐ more focused on
And career experience, students interests, project based
interdisciplinary learning
• To try a career before • Raising ExpectaEons – intensive
heading out into the real staff PD and data driven decision
world making
• Accountability
• Implemented in the most • Aligned with NaEonal standards of
successful and most pracEce
challenging high schools • Clear Five Year Plan – a realisJc
staged development
• Part of the US NaJonal
Academy CoaliJon

15. What the Academy program offers:
“It is easy to assume that high • Relevant, rigourous, more
engaging curriculum
school students don’t want adults curriculum
around. Our young people are • Increased parental and
looking for role models; adults community engagement
who take an interest in their • OpportuniJes for professional
professional future. They want to cerJficaJons and pracJcal
hear from adults who are work through job shadowing
succeeding in the real world. They and internships
want to see examples of what they • C21st skills ‐ thinking, comms
can become in life” and technology
Marsha Edwards – CEO Martha O Brien – and CEO
Champions Member • OpportuniJes to learn in
context of an industry or
theme
• Glencliff Academies include:
• Prep for college and career
Medicine, Ford Business,
Culinary Arts, Environmental
and Urban.

16. Pause for reflecEon
• From what you and we The Challenge:
have learnt what is • Can a “professionalised”
likely to make this sort school to school
transformaJon model be
of approach succeed or
be@er than a tradiJonal
fail? top down model, saJsfy
• Is it likely or unlikely to external stakeholders
achieve more than a and ensure improvement
tradiJonal top down in outcomes?
model • Can we seize the
agenda?

17. Conclusions…
• It is all about leadership
at all levels Final
• The “hows” ma@er as
much as the “whats” QuesJons
and we tend to neglect
them in schools and
• It is about professionals
seizing the agenda reflecJons
• Get the culture right and
almost anything is
possible…
david.crossley@learn2transform.com