School Development External Review “Building a Learning Community”

Learning Communities are… …organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. (Senge, 1990)

School Development Model

External Review Provides feedback on the validity of the school’s internal review Provides feedback on the extent to which the school development plan responds to the identified needs It is a peer validation of the school’s internal review process and the school development plan.

External Review Conducted by a team external to the school Involves a school visit Provides a report to the school, school council, district and department Makes recommendations for change where deemed appropriate Conducted at the end of the internal review process; every 3-4 years

Procedures for External Review PHASE 1: Ensure the school is prepared for an External Review Internal Review completed Supporting data stored and available to external team 1 year and 3-4 year plan completed

PHASE 2: Select facilitator, date(s) of review, and external team members Facilitator is usually the School Development Program Specialist or SEO Determine dates (facilitator in consultation with administration) Select external team (facilitator in consultation with administration)

PHASE 3: Tour of School Usually completed the evening before the External Review begins Conducted by an administrator Followed by brief training session for external team Concludes with an interview of principal

PHASE 4: Interviews Confidential and conducted within the professional code of ethics Always 2 interviewers present 30 – 45 minutes long Teachers and support staff interviewed individually; parents and students in groups Interviews are voluntary Set script of questions

PHASE 5: Oral Report Purpose: to ensure the information in the report is accurate and reflective of the data Consists of commendations and recommendations on the Internal Review results and School Development Plan Presented electronically to the staff at the end of the External Review process

All notes, files and data collected by the external review team during the process are destroyed at the end of the review

PHASE 6: External Review Written Report Celebrates the school’s accomplishments while making recommendations for change, where appropriate Intended to validate and refine the School Development plan and process Completed within 2-3 weeks of the oral report by the facilitator

Sent electronically to school principal and to district office Not a public document; consideration of recommendations in the report belong to the school and school district