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A steer from Michael Fullan himself
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'Taking the Drivers on the Road: Reflections 10 Months into the Journey'
By Michael Fullan, December 2021
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Like many of us in that first year of Covid-19 (2020) I sensed that the extreme disruption might present a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring about substantial system change in learning. Not in the midst of upheaval, but arising from it. I had the idea that I should do a paper on the 10th anniversary of my ‘wrong drivers’ policy paper that was published in 2010 with the Center for Strategic Education (CSE).
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For the anniversary paper I would focus on ‘the right drivers’. In October 2020 I deliberately slowed my writing because I wanted the paper to appear in February 2021, when action could be taken ‘post-covid’. How naïve. We did release the report in February. Now 10 months later, given the nature of the report I think it is time to comment on the initial reception of the Drivers. My intent in this note is not to arrive at the conclusion, but rather to show how the ‘Drivers’ as a set can spark new insights about practical and essential system change. My intent is not to do a review of jurisdictions who are using the Drivers Framework, but rather to show an interest in what use they find it. For example, the Northern Alliance in Scotland (one of six Regional Improvement Collaboratives) prompted this note as I began to exchange some ideas with their leaders...
READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM MICHAEL ON OUR WEBSITE
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Hang on, tell me more about the 'right drivers'... Why do they matter?
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In the Northern Alliance, we aim to improve outcomes for our children and young people through collaboration. But how do we navigate the challenges of the present to make sure we are improving outcomes for and with our children and young people?
This is where Michael Fullan’s 'Right drivers for whole system success' connected with us.
Our Quality Improvement Manager Kathleen Johnston explains: "The drivers don’t state anything new or different to what we already know – they just make sense! And to be frank, making sense is what we need right now.
"Over the past 10 months, colleagues from across the Northern Alliance have been getting to know the drivers. We have been weaving them into our work – how we connect with our networks, develop our practice and learn with and from each other.
"We still have a long way to go, but our knowledge, understanding and excitement around what we can achieve together is growing. Michael Fullan has also been on hand to advise and to encourage us and we are so grateful that he is helping us to navigate our own treasure map in the north. We are honoured that Michael has shared his thoughts on the Right Drivers ten months on through our newsletter.
"We invite you to share your thoughts around his article through this VideoAsk – just have a watch, chat with colleagues and get back to us – I know Michael Fullan would be very interested to hear your thoughts! In the new year we can meet together for a proper discussion around this paper – watch out for an invitation to attend a session coming your way!"
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Northern Alliance Quality Improvement Manager, Kathleen Johnston explains a little bit about what the Four Right Drivers For Whole System Success are and how we can use them.
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School captains use the Four Right Drivers at Inverurie Academy
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Every year, school captains at Inverurie Academy are given the opportunity to work on a legacy project. This time they have decided to research where the school is at in terms of Michael Fullan's first two drivers: Wellbeing and Social Intelligence.
The six pupils involved have worked with a PhD graduate to come up with their research question: 'To what extent does Inverurie Academy develop students who ‘good at learning, good at life?’ They also interviewed Aberdeenshire Council's Head of Education, Vincent Docherty and Professor Ken Muir about the drivers and gained their thoughts and expertise.
Year head David Anderson who has been supporting the students explained: "For me this is all about us preparing and shaping our students for life beyond school. Of course, we would like them to achieve their potential in terms of academic success, but this flows from us developing a culture at Inverurie Academy where they feel safe, valued and their wellbeing is central. We also want them to develop key skills and to grow in their social intelligence so that they have a deeper understanding of who they are and how they collaborate and socialise with others."
The plan is to carry out the next stage of research using online surveys and focus groups over the coming months and then present their findings which they hope will inform what the school can do to improve in the future.
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You may find yourself using the 'right drivers' alongside Northern Alliance workstream leads
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It is our ambition for 'The right drivers for whole system success' to be at the heart of our next Northern Alliance Regional Improvement Plan, however this important thinking is already a focus for many of our workstreams, networks, teachers and leaders.
Here's what some of them have to say:
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Why we are already finding the 'right drivers' useful - summed up in a short video clip.
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How the 'drivers' are shaping the Northern Alliance School Improvement Project
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This session, 10 'improvement partners' have been working alongside 17 schools / school clusters from across the Northern Alliance to test our theory for improvement using Michael Fullan's Right Drivers.
We are working with school teams to focus on school improvement through the lens of the Right Drivers. At present, we are building a shared understanding of the Drivers and thinking about them within our own unique contexts. As part of this project, we are also working together to create the right conditions for improvement, focusing on four areas as part of our Northern Alliance School Improvement Model: collaboration, collective efficacy, leadership and improvement.
Through this lens colleagues from schools across our local authority areas are considering how best we work with our children and young people to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of 2030 and beyond.
One of the schools taking part is Speyside High School in Moray. Head teacher Patricia Goodbrand explains: “I am delighted to be working in collaboration across the Northern Alliance to embed Michael Fullan’s right drivers in to our Improvement Journey at Speyside High School. It has been uplifting to work on something other than covid and I am confident that the use of Fullan’s right drivers will support us to embed and sustain retrieval practice into our daily learning and teaching.”
Northern Alliance Quality Improvement Manager Kathleen Johnston adds: "Using the drivers, we aim to improve outcomes for all our children and young people by helping them develop capabilities and attributes that will equip them for the 21st century. We're doing this through meaningful collaboration that generates collective efficacy, bringing about improvement within and across our system."
Focused work is ongoing with the schools who have signed up to be part of this project this year. Look out for progress updates as we begin to move forward on this journey together. And if you could benefit from support with your own school improvement project, then please reach out to workstream colleagues who are engaging with practitioners through a variety of networks and professional learning opportunities that can support you. Access the Northern Alliance on Glow.
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Engage with us to shape the Regional Improvement Plan in 2022
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We hope this edition of our newsletter has given you some insight into the potential of using the Four Right Drivers for Whole System Success and why we think they are so important.
In 2022 we'll be reaching out to engage with you on what the Regional Improvement Plan from 2022 should look like, what it should include and what it needs to focus on through the lens of the Four Right Drivers – so that we can navigate our treasure map together! There will be live sessions you can join in with, catch ups for head teachers, information and surveys so that you can share what matters to you. Watch this space.
In the meantime, please take part in our VideoAsk if you would like to share your thoughts so far.
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If you want the system to change, you have to change the system! A final word from Fullan...
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'My conception of a driver is a force that attracts power and generates motion on a continuous basis. The four drivers in question are not travelling down a divided highway. Instead, they form a constellation of stars that give each other energy and purpose. They represent a single, integrated model that generates continuous development.'
Michael Fullan, 2021
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You can find out more about Michael Fullan's work by listening to his Changing Conversations podcast or picking up a recording of his Changing Conversations webinar.
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