Professional Learnings NSWPPA Educational Leadership

Shaping the Future of Public Education: Innovations and Insights from the Clarity Learning Suite Team

• NSW PPA Professional Learning • Season 2 • Episode 2

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Unlock the secrets to transforming public education with our special guests Dr Lyn Sharratt and Maggie Orgram from the Clarity Learning Suite team join us in the first episode in the of a series to unpack the Parameters . This episode promises to equip educational leaders with an understanding of the vital role shared beliefs and accountability play in aligning educational systems to classroom practices. Prepare to walk away with an actionable blueprint inspired by New South Wales Public Education's vision, ensuring every student receives equitable and outstanding learning opportunities.

Listen closely as Maggie outlines a crystal-clear action plan that seamlessly integrates the Clarity Learning Suite's parameters with the goals set forth by the New South Wales Public Education plan. It's a masterclass in evidence-based assessments and early, ongoing interventions tailored to meet students' individual needs. If you're committed to advancing progress and achievement within your educational realm, this episode is a treasury of insights on fostering a collaborative culture from the system level to each classroom. Join us for a deep dive into a future where every learner's success is within reach.  The CLARITY Learning Suite is a powerful on-line professional learning experience that will touch system and school leaders and teachers across the globe. 

To view our Professional Learning Offerings visit:
https://www.nswppa.org.au/professional-learning




Drew:

Hello, welcome to season two of the principle learnings podcast. If you're a principal or educational leader looking to enhance your skills, this is a place for you, so let's get into it. Let's embark on this learning journey together. Leaner most of our audience do now you it is a pleasure to have you back in. What we're going to be doing is a series of unpacking clarity learning suite with yourself and also brought along a team member, maggie, all from today. So it's a absolute pleasure to to welcome you to our podcast today.

Lyn:

Thanks so much and Drew looking forward to the talking with you and also the audience who's listening in.

Drew:

Yeah, and welcome Maggie. It's for those who are familiar with with you, your, your background is a as a consultant and you've been. I've just discovered it's just over four years now You've been working with clarity learning suites. How time flies.

Maggie:

It's indeed. That's all been part of the team. That's when we started all of us with the, this vision of what we could create. Yeah, it's been great.

Drew:

Yeah, absolutely, and getting to know you and the team has been an absolute privilege for us as an association over the last year. Look, lynn, if we could start with you, we are having system reform in New South Wales Regarding public education, the public education plan. Lynn, can, can you tell our audience why is system alignment important?

Lyn:

Well, Drew, there have been so many Research pieces different pieces around how important it is that system leaders have a vision of what's possible and also have a line of sight to our students in every classroom. Well, this really demands that we have a framework for doing that. So for me, the why is our framework of the 14 parameters, and particularly parameter one, should beliefs and understandings, and and parameter 14, shared accountability and responsibility. And to me, these two parameters allow us to develop that culture of learning from the system through the networks to our schools and classrooms. And I have to say it's really important In this school and system improvement work that everyone's on the same page. So the tools in the clarity learning suite around the 14 parameters Help us to understand those bookends one and 14 and how we create that collaborative culture of learning from system right to classroom.

Drew:

Yeah, well said, you really unpack and we will unpack the why further. But you give a really clear definition there with those two parameters that you've said, maggie, I'll go to you, you're, we're going to unpack the what in this work, maggie, what actions do you take to ensure system and school alignment? It's very clear. Are you learning Swate?

Maggie:

Thanks, Drew. Yeah, so this is a really important piece of work that we'd like to share with you here. This is just the first page of the document we put together that shows the alignment between the plan for New South Wales Public Education and the CLS parameters. And it's so important as we've already touched on in our conversation the importance of that cohesion and that line of sight going through from the system through to the classroom level. So, for example, you can see that on the last point, there, on this particular page, we will use success measures to monitor our progress towards providing equitable and outstanding public education. That comes directly from the New South Wales plan.

Maggie:

So we considered that and we thought well, parameters three, five and six all align very obviously with that, not to say that others won't, because there's a lot of interweaving between the whole 14 parameters. But it really hones in here on the importance of quality assessment to inform our practice. So everything is evidence-based. And then we have early and ongoing intervention, which is crucial because to make this equitable for students, we want to meet every student where they are, to really know them as learners, so that they can all progress and achieve. So early and ongoing is very important and then, of course, the whole picture of the compilation, really, of the case management approach, which is all based on data through the data walls, through the case management meetings, through the learning walks and talks, and that is how we're really seeking to have success for all learners.

Drew:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, fabulous, and in terms of that I know you'll. We only just touch briefly on that document and there's a lot of further unpacking of that, which we will do with clarity in the New South Wales education context. So, lynn, there is so much information for our educators. There's the in the current context, there's the public education plan, which is our educators are working through that, and, of course, clarity learning suite, where the question is where do we start? Can you give some guidelines of where would a principal looking to come on that journey of clarity learning suite? Where would they start? Can you give some tips or suggestions or scaffold us through that?

Lyn:

Yes, thanks a lot, Drew. It's really important for us to know that the documents that we have in any jurisdiction and we're talking now about New South Wales become the what. As Maggie said, this is what the documents say, and the 14 parameters become the tools. How are we going to do this? So, in each one of the parameters are tools that help leaders and teachers together self-assess where they are, what they need to do more of or less of. So for me, an example is what our team has put together and that is a gap analysis document, starting with each of the parameters.

Lyn:

We look at what are the real nitty gritty look for in each parameter and then we think about our own system or own school or a network of schools when are we in each of these dimensions? Or look for us of the parameters and we write down, make notes on what we're already doing, and then we think about if we're doing these things, what are we missing, and those will be our next steps. So it's a gap analysis, because every tool in the Clarity and Learning Suite is about self-assessment. This is a great example of a whole staff or a whole system self-assessing against the 14 parameters, and I must say, as Michael Fulin says, there aren't any more areas of system and school improvement. It's how you really go deeply into each of the parameters and self-assess where you are and where you need to be. So defining those next steps is really crucial when we start with those 14 parameters and do the audit.

Drew:

Yeah, and I'm thinking in terms of the New South Wales education system. We have, as you would be familiar with, the school excellence framework and the external validation process. That could be a perfect place in terms of reviewing where because that is basically an order to where things are at in the school context Would you suggest using that as a framework against these parameters?

Lyn:

Yeah, we've really looked at the school excellence framework and we've married the 14 parameters to make sure there is that alignment and that coherence and what we expect teachers and leaders to be doing, and there's a perfect alignment. So it's important for our teachers and leaders listening in to know that the school excellence framework and the 14 parameters align completely and, again, I see the school excellence framework as the what we need to be doing and the 14 parameters as the tools. How are we going to do that? So I think I would start with the 14 parameters making sure all staff know what they are and really being confident that they absolutely reflect the school effectiveness framework and the public education document.

Drew:

Yeah, absolutely so. To brief update today, very short, and I'd love to unpack. We're going to be looking, as I said at the start, a series of these discussions, I guess, in terms of our quick discussion today, what are the summary or thoughts that Lynn you have regarding our brief conversation today?

Lyn:

Well, thanks, thanks, Drew, I think. First I'd like to share a little bit of the backstory around our clarity learning suite. Was probably 2018 when Sally Egan and the senior team invited me to come with my team at the clarity learning suite team to just talk about system and school improvement. At that time had a conversation with that Murat as well around developing a tool for Dells and school leaders to use as learning leaders to really unpack the dimensions of system and school improvement, and so we started that journey, developing the clarity learning suite specifically for New South Wales. And then COVID hit and everything changed. Our team continued that work with perseverance and dedication to the system and school improvement work you'll find in clarity learning suite. So, even though we have now produced it globally and it's in French as well as English, it's a credit at four universities we started with the vision of supporting New South Wales in terms of system and school improvement. So that's just kind of the backstory.

Lyn:

Now you're asking me for a summary comment around system leadership, and obviously it's really important that we develop our plans of system improvement and school improvement as well, but are able as well to put those plans on a one pager, and here's an example, on the screen.

Lyn:

So what I'm thinking about is, not only do we have our school plans and we have the templates for those, but then we think carefully about how can we summarize the important points of the plan in a one pager. So the one pager will be the big picture and, if you will, your plan will be the detail behind that. But also, when I work with jurisdictions, I ask what's your watermark? What do you stand for? What can you measure and see? And in this particular very large jurisdiction, not unlike New South Wales, they chose watermark of improvement because that's observable, it's measurable, it speaks to the improvement, using assessment to inform instruction in every classroom. So they can certainly track that and reflect on their next steps using the 14 parameters. So to me, that's what I think about. I think about can you put your plans on one page and what would your watermark be that everyone would know and recognize as your priority?

Drew:

Yeah, I love that, Lyn, in terms of just the story that you unpacked with New South Wales Education Context specifically for Clarity Learning Suite and that. What is your watermark? And, for those who are listening, the watermark I'm seeing is it says every student succeeding is right in the centre of that thinking and that is the work. It's all about students succeeding in this, putting the child first, the student, at the centre. So, thank you for sharing that information and, for colleagues who are listening and have that curiosity, we will go to it later. The reference is we do have partnership with the Clarity Learning Suite through the New South Wales Primary Principles Association and there'll be notes in here, the recording of this on the site and also notes on our podcast regarding these references that we have been referred to today. Maggie, I'll finish with you. What is your thoughts after our brief discussion this morning?

Maggie:

Well, Drew, what an interesting discussion. I think what I'd want to be pulling out is that remembering that we're all learning together and we're all coming from strength-based positive mindset and Clarity Developing as we go, the importance of being reflective practitioners, leaders, teachers as indeed we're also encouraging the students to be reflective as we support them to look back, give descriptive feedback to their friends writing, and it's all about being reflective to make our next best steps. So, yes, clarity Developing as you go and not before you go.

Drew:

Yeah, well said, Maggie, well said. So where to from here in our next episode? I'd really like to see if we can unpack further work of clarity learning suite. My thinking is the work of how do you put faces on your data, particularly against the NSW Public education system, and we could potentially focus on other parameters. Lynn, where would you suggest we go with this conversation?

Lyn:

Well, Drew, it's really interesting today that we've talked about two of our non-negotiables in the 14 parameters Parameter one shared beliefs and understandings, and the other, book. And parameter 14 shared responsibility and accountability. There's only one other non-negotiable, and I use that word non-negotiable advisedly Because I'm talking about not being harsh but actually being supportive. They're non-negotiable in that they develop the culture of learning that surrounds all of our leaders, teachers and students. So one in 14, we've unpacked this episode, but next time we think we'll unpack the other non-negotiable, parameter six. What does it look like when we put faces on the data in NSW public schools? We're going to talk about data walls and case management meetings as the two prongs of parameter number six. And why is it non-negotiable? One, six and 14 are non-negotiable because it allows those three parameters allow us to have a line of sight into every classroom, every school, every network and across the system.

Drew:

Fabulous. I'm really looking forward to our ongoing discussions this year and getting to know the work further for our colleagues who are interested in the work that we do have. As I said, we have an exclusive with the clarity learning suite and the alignment is so well clear for us to see. If you are interested in this work further, colleagues, the website is uswppaorgau slash clarity learning suite and you're able to find all of the information there. Look, it's been an absolute pleasure to have you, Lyn and Maggie, today and I'm looking forward to more discussions unpacking Clarity Learning Suite with you. Thanks for your time.

Maggie:

Thank you, Drew. Thanks so much.

Drew:

If you're a principal or educational leader looking to enhance your skills, this is the place for you. This season, we'll be showcasing a wide range of professional learning experiences designed with your success in mind. We'll continue to focus on the values of wellbeing, leadership, growth, as well as optimising school operations. Curious to learn more about our offerings? You'll find our full catalogue on our website at https://www. nswppa. org. au/catalogue, or you can easily book your next professional learning experience at https://www. nswppa. org. au/professional-learning-calendar-bookings. If you or your network is interested in further professional learning through the New South Wales Primary Principles Association, reach out to me directly at https://www. nswppa. org. au/professional-learning . I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Drew Janetzki

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