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Game changer:
a dramatic journey to a digital personal competency system
a dramatic journey to a digital personal competency system
What will be the next big changes for schools in the future? This article is an attempt to highlight the critical transformation that is needed to prepare children for their future and not our past. As technology and innovations continue to develop exponentially we need to ask ourselves whether our traditional schools have what children need.
Richard DeLorenzo
An internationally known leader in education reform and organization restructuring, is best known for his uniquely comprehensive "grassroots" approach to reinventing educational systems.
We are still operating schools designed for the industrial model that prepared a majority of students with basics skills, allowing them to earn an essential living wage. However, we now live in a society where factory jobs are becoming more and more obsolete due to robotics and outsourcing of jobs. We need to provide children with far more than basic skills. We have to prepare them so that that they will not only be economically self-sufficient, but able to adapt to any new opportunity.
Undoubtedly, our current system has been unable to make these adjustments with any consistency that has been scalable.
The reason this article is important?
First, I hope to inspire leaders to understand that we need to unlock the magic of learning by creating a new paradigm that unleashes the potential of all children.
Second, I want to share my experience in transforming school systems from the long-standing, traditional, time-based seat-time model created over a 150 years ago to a digital personal competency system.
Third, I have a deep commitment to helping courageous leaders out there who want to transform their classrooms, schools, and entire education organizations into ones that engage, empower, and better prepare children for their future.
Undoubtedly, our current system has been unable to make these adjustments with any consistency that has been scalable.
The reason this article is important?
First, I hope to inspire leaders to understand that we need to unlock the magic of learning by creating a new paradigm that unleashes the potential of all children.
Second, I want to share my experience in transforming school systems from the long-standing, traditional, time-based seat-time model created over a 150 years ago to a digital personal competency system.
Third, I have a deep commitment to helping courageous leaders out there who want to transform their classrooms, schools, and entire education organizations into ones that engage, empower, and better prepare children for their future.
This is a new system with much more potential, but also with additional risks
During the past four decades, I have witnessed many examples of dramatic change in schools where a whole systems approach was implemented. This approach focuses on creating a connected culture with a shared vision and a properly implemented digital personal proficiency system aligned to meaningful targets that are flexible and measurable.
A whole systems approach focuses on creating a connected culture with a shared vision and a properly implemented digital personal proficiency system aligned to meaningful targets that are flexible and measurable.
The increased student achievement in these schools that has been documented suggests that the whole systems approach is the key to the transformation of our schools for the future. I believe that unless whole systems at the regional and national levels embrace this dramatic change, we will only be tinkering with an already obsolete educational paradigm. If we feel our system needs a radical overhaul then here are some leading questions we should consider:
- Why is change necessary in our schools and what does this better future for schools look like?
- What is the difference between the traditional system and the Digital Personal Competency System?
- What are the key factors that should be considered in moving toward this vision?
- Why do some schools fail to make this transition?
Why is change necessary?
For the past fifty years, educators, parents, and inspired individuals have been trying to reform the education system to better meet the needs of students and to help graduating students to be more competitive in the new global economy. Over these decades, there have been seemingly endless, exhaustive attempts to set new standards of excellence, but few, if any, have proved to be sustainable, replicable, or scalable. These attempts at improvement have included restructuring of failing schools, introducing a rigorous and more competitive curriculum through common core standards, additional resources to help innovate systems, and finally, the continuation of alternative options such as magnet schools, alternative schools and charter schools. Although some improvements in student achievement have been documented, the vast majority of schools have failed; very few results have been sustainable for more than a decade and fewer yet are replicable or scalable. As a result, many students graduate from high school unclear about their future direction and inadequately prepared for success in college, work, and life. Many others don’t graduate at all. Despite all of our efforts, we still find ourselves with pockets of excellence and systems of mediocrity.
This article offers some specific guidelines and steps for how committed educators, with the right tools and processes, can dramatically change educational outcomes for every child, not just some children.
This article offers some specific guidelines and steps for how committed educators, with the right tools and processes, can dramatically change educational outcomes for every child, not just some children.
Prestigious public schools with in-depth study of individual subjects
A publicly funded independent schools established by teachers, parents, or community group
When a school decides to move to a well-deployed digital personal-competency system, a clear understanding of what this is and how it might be implemented is needed
Today, as I visit schools and regions across the world, I see thousands of parts moving in hundreds of different directions. There is very little evidence that everyone is on the same page about the type of systemic change needed to dramatically improve learning for our children. I have talked with teachers and parents who are frustrated and not sure what to do. I have met thousands of students who felt left behind, disenfranchised, unengaged and not prepared for their future.
It is clear to me that what is needed is a dramatic overhaul of the education system and a new vision for education, drawing on the best research in child development and systems excellence. In a well-deployed competency system, the thousands of parts move in the same direction because for the first time there is a clear vision and transparency about where everyone is headed.
In a well-deployed competency system, the thousands of parts move in the same direction because for the first time there is a clear vision and transparency about where everyone is headed.
For teachers, administrators, parents, and especially students, there is clarity and focus, which leads to deeper commitment and higher, sustainable results. They all have clear road maps about their individual journey and how collectively they can create systems of excellence.
How will the roles of students, teachers and administrators change from a traditional system?
What is the difference?
It is clear to me that what is needed is a dramatic overhaul of the education system and a new vision for education, drawing on the best research in child development and systems excellence. In a well-deployed competency system, the thousands of parts move in the same direction because for the first time there is a clear vision and transparency about where everyone is headed.
In a well-deployed competency system, the thousands of parts move in the same direction because for the first time there is a clear vision and transparency about where everyone is headed.
For teachers, administrators, parents, and especially students, there is clarity and focus, which leads to deeper commitment and higher, sustainable results. They all have clear road maps about their individual journey and how collectively they can create systems of excellence.
How will the roles of students, teachers and administrators change from a traditional system?
What is the difference?
Table 1
Once the vision is established and the roles of the stakeholders change then there is a cascading effect of everything else changing. This is where we begin dismantling old paradigms and begin to reinvent how schools function and operate with a new playbook. Below is a list of key educational components and the impact this new system will have. This type of change is very different from what we have previously experienced in schools. This is a new system with much more potential, but also with additional risks.
This is a new system with much more potential, but also with additional risks.
This is what we call second order change because we have not only overhauled the system, but reinvented many of the obsolete parts. This kind of change requires us to learn how to do things differently.
Table 2
This is a new system with much more potential, but also with additional risks.
This is what we call second order change because we have not only overhauled the system, but reinvented many of the obsolete parts. This kind of change requires us to learn how to do things differently.
Table 2
When a school decides to move to a well-deployed digital personal-competency system, a clear understanding of what this is and how it might be implemented is needed.
When a school decides to move to a well-deployed digital personal-competency system, a clear understanding of what this is and how it might be implemented is needed.
There are several critical elements to be taken into account.
When a school decides to move to a well-deployed digital personal-competency system, a clear understanding of what this is and how it might be implemented is needed.
There are several critical elements to be taken into account.
Key factors
1
A shared commitment among stakeholders to create an authentic shared vision through which all have a voice and see the role they play in realizing the vision that is bigger than any one individual.
2
A guaranteed and viable curriculum (GVC) that reflects what every child will know and do to be successful in their future. GVC means there is enough time to learn and enough time to teach the content.
3
A commitment to honor and respect each person’s role and create a culture of support with a code of collaboration.
4
A systemic commitment and plan to develop current leaders and encourage new leaders to grow so that the system will be sustained over time.
5
A culture of continuous improvement around the best practices benchmarked against the best practices in the world and a commitment to make immediate adjustments to stay on course.
6
A clear understanding of the change process and how it will affect the entire system and the proactive steps needed to navigate the myriad of mines along the way.
The journey
Table 3
Why do some schools fail to make this transition?
For every school that we were able to help transform to a proficiency model there were just as many that failed. After post interviews and some reflection, I came up with six key reasons why systems are not able to find success in any type of second-order change.
1. Overcoming the traditional educational inertia is too difficult with little support at the regional or national level.
2. The leadership is unable or unwilling to lead this initiative.
3. Very low trust level between different stakeholder groups (teachers, administration, board members, community and parents).
4. Poor history of following through on previous initiatives.
5. Inconsistent deployment of shared vision, no road map, no deliverables, inconsistent trainings and little attention to the data.
6. Majority of the work is left to a few individuals which results in poor ownership of the vision.
1. Overcoming the traditional educational inertia is too difficult with little support at the regional or national level.
2. The leadership is unable or unwilling to lead this initiative.
3. Very low trust level between different stakeholder groups (teachers, administration, board members, community and parents).
4. Poor history of following through on previous initiatives.
5. Inconsistent deployment of shared vision, no road map, no deliverables, inconsistent trainings and little attention to the data.
6. Majority of the work is left to a few individuals which results in poor ownership of the vision.
The journey is a difficult one, but it is necessary if we are serious about helping every child to have the opportunity to be successful in their future. The Chugach School District in Alaska where this was first initiated as a system in 1994 had created significant positive trend data over 5 years. Even more impressive was that they were the first winners ever in the business category of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award given by the President of USA. Thus began the journey of helping other schools throughout the world that had the desire to change. This resulted in creating a nonprofit called Re Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC) whose mission was to impact the lives of 1 million children. After many years on the journey helping systems to make the transition here are the results: Students at Re- Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC) trained systems are 37% more likely to score proficient or above on state tests for reading, 54% more likely to score proficient or above on state tests for writing, and 55% more likely to score proficient or above on state tests for mathematics than students at non-RISC schools.
My hope is that those of you reading this article will develop a deeper knowledge of what it takes to move individuals and systems to new levels of learning and that you will be inspired to become engaged in supporting this type of transformation.
This journey is a very complex one, but it begins by taking the first step of understanding how critical it is to provide young people with a better school experience, prepare them for their futures and help them become life-long learners.
My hope is that those of you reading this article will develop a deeper knowledge of what it takes to move individuals and systems to new levels of learning and that you will be inspired to become engaged in supporting this type of transformation.
This journey is a very complex one, but it begins by taking the first step of understanding how critical it is to provide young people with a better school experience, prepare them for their futures and help them become life-long learners.
It is clear that what is needed is a dramatic overhaul of the education system and a new vision for education, drawing on the best research in child development and systems excellence
References
1. DeLorenzo, R., & Gaddy-Carrio, B. (2008). Delivering on the Promise: The Education Revolution. Indianapolis, IN: Solution Tree. Retrieved from https://www.solutiontree.com/
2. Marzano, R. J., & Kendall, J. S. (1996). A Comprehensive Guide to Designing Standards-Based Districts, Schools, and Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
3. Haystead, Mark W. (2010, April). RISC vs. Non-RISC Schools: A Comparison of Student Proficiencies for Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Marzano Research Laboratory. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 538 081)
2. Marzano, R. J., & Kendall, J. S. (1996). A Comprehensive Guide to Designing Standards-Based Districts, Schools, and Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
3. Haystead, Mark W. (2010, April). RISC vs. Non-RISC Schools: A Comparison of Student Proficiencies for Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Marzano Research Laboratory. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 538 081)
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