A few weeks ago, in a rare moment of being the the staff room to eat my lunch, I was part of a very interesting conversation. One of my colleagues was talking about their partner - a primary educator - and how they were keen to be working at a particular intermediate school here in Wellington. Here followed a discussion about primary and intermediate schools around town and how "good" schools were.
The one comment that I just couldn't let go past went something like this: "... is a good school, it doesn't have a high staff turnover."
Ummm.... okay.
I had to bite.... "Hang on. Is that the sign of a successful school? That all the staff stay there until they retire?"
The answer was a resounding "yes." Apparently if staff feel comfortable then it is a successful, or "good" school.
I may have laughed a little.
Anyways, this discussion has made me think. What does make a successful school? Is the school I work in a successful school?
Just a few easy questions for a Monday lunchtime!
Are NCEA results, or National Standards a tool for measuring a successful school? Perhaps they are a singular way of measuring the success - but do these results measure the success of the students, the teachers, the BOT, the senior leadership in a school, the wider school community? Do these results measure where students have started from? Where they are heading? What aspirations and dreams the students (or indeed, the teachers?) have? Do they measure the mental health and wellness of the students? the staff?
If NCEA results or National Standards are the measure of a successful school, is it okay to be comfortable with having above average results? To not question any anomalies that be hiding in the average results?
Ahh, so many questions!
How do you measure the success of a school?
Loved this post Paula! Such a crazy response, good on you for getting it down! I think you need to start with thinking about what you see as 'successful'. This could measure its student engagement levels, its parent happiness, its national standards data, its sporting prowess, staff involvement, community support..... All of those would indicate some form of success to me. I feel I work in an extremely successful school already, but there is always room for improvement.
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