Accreditation - Introduction

What does a Performance and Development Culture look like?

The following comments flesh out the concept of a Performance and Development Culture and point to the standards that schools need to attain for accreditation.

…… a working environment that enables

Schools with a Performance and Development Culture focus on providing a working environment that enables teachers to teach as well as they possibly can. Leadership teams in these schools know that the quality of their teachers is the most important educational resource they have. Teachers feel supported and valued in schools with a performance and development culture. There are shared standards for accomplished teaching and credible mechanisms for providing recognition to teachers who meet those standards. They maximise the time that teachers can spend productively on tasks related to teaching.

…… building the capacity of their teachers

Schools with a Performance and Development Culture focus on building the capacity of their teachers to teach to high professional standards. They ensure that the workplace is as much a site for teacher learning as it is for student learning. They enable professional reflection and learning in the workplace and, thereby, enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers work in teams that enable them to explore one another's ideas and to question their beliefs and practices. Teachers engage in collegial planning and review of how well their teaching is meeting students' needs. An ethic of enquiry pervades the school about teaching and learning. In a Performance and Development Culture continuous development for all staff is supported by rich, constructive feedback, customised professional development and regular dialogue.

…… leadership is a quality that pervades effective organisations

Leaders of professional organisations recognise that leadership is a quality that pervades effective organisations. They provide teachers with leadership roles and opportunities to learn through taking on wider responsibilities. They provide leadership roles and time for highly accomplished teachers to work with other teachers on the core business of monitoring and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning.

…… is guided by professional values and expertise

Practice in professional organisations is guided by professional values and expertise. Professionals need to play a strong role in decisions related to their practice, but, as they often face non-routine problems, they also need time to bring their values and expertise to bear on those problems – interpreting the evidence and identifying appropriate courses of action. Schools with a Performance and Development Culture ensure time for such purposes is available. They establish a professional community characterised by collegiality, joint work, innovation and risk taking to enhance the school's problem-solving capacity.

…… a professional culture

A Performance and Development Culture is above all an accountable culture. It is characterised by high expectations for student learning, transparent and collaborative teaching practice and norms of collective responsibility for student learning outcomes. Professionalism is understood to imply mutual accountability for the quality of practice, not autonomy interpreted as privacy. Leaders in schools with a Performance and Development Culture model the professional development and accountability practices they seek to promote among staff members.

…… a culture of continuous improvement

A Performance and Development Culture is not an end point. It is a collective state of mind characterised by continuing self-evaluation of practice and openness to better ways of doing things. A strong professional community is a learning community. A learning profession is tolerant of risk-taking among its members so that teachers can refine their practice and deepen their understanding about how they can best support students in their learning. This quest never ends.

NOTE: The accreditation process is consistent with research indicating that the knowledge and skills of teachers is the most important educational resource that a school possesses. Research also indicates that schools that establish a working environment that promotes and sustains an active, accountable professional community are best able to nurture and develop that resource effectively. Building a strong professional community is core business for leaders in these schools.