‘Rural high schools mean business’
RUNNING their institutions like a business, complete with targets and the measurement of outputs, has become the modus operandi for the six rural high schools in the Centres of Excellence programme of the Mutual Building Societies Foundation (MBSF).
Programme manager Dr Renee Rattray made the revelation recently, in reflecting on the five-year intervention, which comes to an end this year.
“We commend the management teams that have put systems in place to maintain accountability and track and use data like business managers, to assess the value achieved,” she said. “Consequently, they now accept that managing a school is a business and, like any other business, they realise that to remain viable and competitive, they must be productive and efficient.”
Rattray was speaking recently to the MBSF’s evaluation of the administrative and academic staff of the six institutions — McGrath High in St Catherine, Mile Gully High and Porus High in Manchester; Seaforth High in St Thomas; Godfrey Stewart High in Westmoreland and Green Pond in St James — who accessed intensive leadership training from 2008, to transform their schools into centres of excellence.
“School principals are now looking more closely at critical administrative issues that have an impact on instruction and performance, which they would have previously overlooked. And, at the same time, they are no longer micro-managing,” the Rattray said.
“In addition, their attitudes and that of their senior staff members have also improved, resulting in a keener understanding of what it takes to lead an efficient school,” she added.
The programme, which included extensive workshops, seminars and coaching sessions, also facilitated a working tour in the United Kingdom, where the Jamaican principals shadowed UK principals at leading educational institutions and engaged in research.
The comprehensive school intervention programme, under the auspices of the MBSF, was developed and implemented by the Jamaica National Building Society and the Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), working in concert with the Ministry of Education.
“The results are that principals, vice-principals and senior leaders at the six rural high schools under the programme are now demonstrating tremendous improvement in their leadership styles,” Rattray noted in her review.
“Although some schools are more advanced than others, most of the principals have embraced their roles as ‘chief executive officers’ and are managing their resources efficiently,” she added.
Principals have high praise for the programme.
“The experience has been holistic because it stresses both the operation of the school as a business and instructional leadership, as well as it has helped to develop our decision-making skills,” said principal of Mile Gully High Lawrence Rowe. “And, therefore, you know when to act as a manager and when to act as an educator.”
He noted that understanding how to gather, retrieve and analyse data had helped to transform Mile Gully High School. For example, he said research had helped him and his team to manage infractions.
“We were able to identify that most fights took place right after lunch, therefore, I changed my rounds to that time and walked the corridors with the dean of discipline to ensure students were in class,” Rowe said. “And, for classes which showed up in the data as the most challenging, we ensured that teachers were also assigned to these classes. As a result, there were fewer disruptions and fewer disruptions means more progressive learning time.”
Michael Ellis, principal of Green Pond High, said his team now prepares an annual school development plan, which articulates the mission and goals for the school year.
“My team has a better appreciation for simply doing things more effectively and now school managers, for example, have a better understanding of how to conduct effective meetings, and dealing with critical issues first,” he said, noting that they had learnt from workshops with presenters like Radley Reid, a former principal of Campion College.
They have also benefitted from the shared expertise and experience of well-known insurance executive R Danny Williams; former H&L Group chief executive officer, now Kingston College principal, Dave Myrie; and management consultant Gillian Chambers.
“Coming out of those sessions, the management teams show a fuller appreciation and understanding for certain legal and administrative processes and regulations, as governed by the Education Act; and an understanding of how to manage the school more efficiently, with the end result being to improve student performance and improve teacher productivity,” Rattray noted.
According to principal of Godfrey Stewart High School Theobold Fearon, the programme has positively impacted his leadership style.
“I developed ‘people skills’ and, as a result, I have been able to change the culture at our school by establishing a real positive relationship with teachers — [one] built on mutual respect,” he said.
“Now communication is open, planning briefings are held with teachers before the start of the school day and administrators have a fuller appreciation for the day-to-day activities,” Fearon added.
Other participating schools have noted progress concerning attendance; student, teacher and administrative performance as well as facilities and refurbished labs.
“There is still much to be achieved, however, all six schools are now in a better position than they were five years ago. The MBSF is confident that through improved leadership in all areas of these schools, the performances of these institutions will eventually be on par with the best performing schools in the country,” Rattray predicted.