EXCELLENCE IN LEADING AND MANAGING CHANGE FOR SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS

The Center is currently conducting a training on leading and managing change for education leaders and managers from SEAMEO member countries. The training will run from 15 to 26 August 2011. Dubbed “Excellence in Leading and Managing Change for School Effectiveness,” the five-module program aims to enhance and strengthen the competencies of school administrators in introducing and managing change effectively at the school level. More particularly, Module 1 gives the participants knowledge of current and emerging educational challenges and opportunities in Southeast Asia. At the same time, it provides an opportunity to enhance skills in determining the impact of those challenges in the policies and practices of education ministries and schools. Module 2, on the other hand, talks about the school head as a change leader and champion. Through this module, the participants will have a better appreciation of their preparedness to lead and manage change by learning about the range of competencies needed. Meanwhile, Module 3 provides a venue to learn about good practices employed by school leaders who were able to introduce and sustain reforms in their respective schools. Through this, the training participants should be able to gain insights on the various approaches and interventions that they may also apply in their school contexts. Module 4 intends to guide the participants in designing and operationalizing a change program through Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Process. Several interactive activities like simulation exercise and on-site learning sessions will be used to reinforce concepts and ideas. Lastly, Module 5 helps enhance the participants’ competencies in determining appropriate monitoring and evaluation strategies that include, among others, the appreciative inquiry approach. Aside from this, the participants will also be guided on how to effectively communicate an educational reform plan within the school, to the community, and to stakeholders. At the end of two weeks, the participants should be able to translate learning and insights gained from the training into an implementable plan that they can undertake upon return to their respective work stations. SEAMEO INNOTECH will be following up on the progress of their reforms plans through the post-course mentoring phase that will begin late in September 2011. The training on leading and managing change is a three-phase blended learning program that combines the use of online and face-to-face training. The pre-course online conversation took place from 27 July to 02 August, while the post-course online mentoring will commence from 26 September to 07 October.