Page 7 - 和富慈善基金李宗德小學 知德集

Principal's Writing Corner

Today schools are being challenged with increase in expectations and
bombarded by unrelenting changes. This makes no difference between ‘low-
performing’ or ‘High-performing’ schools. Governments elsewhere, and Hong
Kong without exception, have been embarking on substantial programmes of
reform in an attempt to develop more effective school systems and raise levels
of student learning and achievement. This, in turn, has been accompanied
by radical changes in the way the schools are managed and governed. As a
consequence, no school will dare to keep being ‘static’ in her comfort zone.
Otherwise, even the most privileged schools of today will soon be taken over
by other competitors and far lagged behind someday!

As an implication to our school, we shall always take change as a ‘friend’
and rethink the questions of:
1. “What do we want to be in the eyes of our stakeholders?”
2. “How well are we doing?”
3. “Are we good enough currently and why?”
4. “What areas should we improve?”
5. “How can we improve?”

Question 1 is talking about what our vision is and what outcomes we want
to achieve; Question 2 needs us to review what our current school status is
and what the data tell us; Questions 3 and 4 are about a complete analysis of
our school performance and what areas of concern we have found; The last
question number 5 is concerned with our way forward and what our school
improvement strategies will be.

If we really want to be an ever-improving school, from good to great, we
must take immediate action to start our school improvement journey of ‘Review,
Plan, Act and Review’ cycle right now!

1 e.g. A secondary school in Hung Hom (2007-2012)
Reference:
Fullan, M. (2001). The New Meaning of Educational Change. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hopkins, D. (2001). School improvement for real. London: Routledge/Falmer.
Stoll, L. & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement.
Buckingham: Open University Press.

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