School Transformation PDF

5.1 School transformation The process of inclusive education requires both a transformation of mainstream settings and the way in which they have been conceived, organised and structured, as well as a reconsideration of the role of special schools. A positive attitude towards change is crucial, but...

5.1 School transformation The process of inclusive education requires both a transformation of mainstream settings and the way in which they have been conceived, organised and structured, as well as a reconsideration of the role of special schools. A positive attitude towards change is crucial, but this does not necessarily result from the application of new techniques or the introduction of new organisational arrangements in schools (Ainscow, 2007), and policy-makers often struggle to change schools by using new regulations and legislation (Pijl and Frissen, 2009). The literature indicates that the consequences of such action is not real change -- schools may show that they comply with the new guidelines (for example, by welcoming learners with disabilities into their classrooms), but only through minor adjustments (e.g. creating resource rooms and special units within the mainstream) and without really transforming the way in which schooling (i.e. teaching and learning approaches) is structured. School change requires a deeper transformation, which entails a change in thinking (Ainscow, 2007). Specifically, this involves engagement in dialogues with and among staff, learners, families and local communities, the ability to challenge taken-for-granted beliefs and practice and the rejection of forms of understanding that pathologize difference. It further involves a reconsideration of teachers' assumptions about teaching and learning, a new vision for school leaders and, in general, a deep cultural change at the level of the school staff and of the local community (Booth and Ainscow, 2002; Watkins, 2007; Council of the European Union, 2009; Agency, 2011c). Hargreaves (2012) states that school transformation that is self-generating and sustainable requires attention to the deep cultural capital that underpins the life of individual schools, partnerships and the school system as a whole. Muijs, Ainscow, Chapman and West (2011) have shown how education systems are under pressure to implement change, not only to become more inclusive, but also to respond to increasing demands to raise learners' achievements and fight against school failure. However, schools are complex organisations (Pijl and Frissen, 2009) and so, therefore, is the process of changing them. Pijl and Frissen divide organisations into two main types: the machine bureaucracy organisation and the professional organisation; the former is characterised by strong centralised regulation, with standardised instructions and job descriptions, essentially performing simple and formalised tasks. The latter is characterised by a more complex type of work performed by different professionals that apply their problem-solving knowledge to individual cases. Although many schools have the characteristics of a professional organisation, they are still fundamentally run as bureaucratic organisations, hence provoking a series of tensions and conflicts that impede Literature Review 17 the development of innovation and experimentation. In addition, schools have embedded assumptions, values, attitudes and routines that resist change (Burstein et al., 2004) and make it difficult for teachers to amend their roles and responsibilities.