Sunday, 18 March 2007

Hi Everybody

Here we are:  less than a week away from the 2007 State Election.  Despite the many voices which might find fault with what occurs, there have been some very significant gains during the last few years.  It is often forgotten that: in order to build for the future there has had to be some necessary dismantling of previous direction, for the purpose of building consistency and common levels of expectation as the platform for future growth.  In ICT in particular, this has led to a degree of standardisation as the precursor to the ability of our massive system to provide support.

In the area of succession and workforce planning it has meant the alignment of efforts around common standards and capability frameworks.  In special provision it has meant the often difficult process of more equitably aligning resources across a vast range of settings.  The list goes on.

There is, however, some absolute clarity around the need to base our decisions on sound data and on an absolute commitment to raising the bar of expectations and closing the gap on performance levels for a variety of groups.  To maintain the momentum of this future focused work we must increase the levels of engagement with all levels of the community: shifting perceptions about just WHAT planning schools for the future might rely upon, and WHY the need for some changes  to structures and practices is vital to sustain our effectiveness and relevance into the next decades.

In what is sometimes described as a "constrained resource environment" the imperative is even greater to ensure that we are making the optimum use of the creative capital which lies within and between us as professional educators.  While we will always have need for the vertical pillars of accountability the strength of our structural environment can only be bolstered by the growth of lateral, more flexible and organic links which provide the buttressing and scaffolding which is the enabler for the construct of even more ambitious futures.

There are clear signs already of a gathering momentum in change to the workforce profile.  This will provide both challenge and opportunity.  It is the task of people like the subscribers to this list to look toward the future with optimism: heartened by some of the indicators we can point to of successes within our environment.

To those whose roles are inextricably linked to the changing emphases within the political arena, it is hoped that this last week is as crisis free as possible and that we can all be in a position to continue the work we have been engaged in: building for the future.

Don't forget to keep an eye on the LIPS blog site, where bits and pieces are added from time to time.  Don't forget that you can post comments, or use the Reply button in your email to respond to this email or to post questions, comments or any other information to this list.

Have a great week !

Roger

Visit the LIPS blog at http://www.pryorcommitment.com/lips2
Use the link to subscribe to receive email notifications