1,721,461 research outputs found
Aiming for systemic change: the development of the agenda
No full textIn January 2013 the author was appointed as a Professor at the University of Glasgow to set up a new research center in the School of Education. The actual launch of the Robert Owen Centre took place in September 2013, when he/she became its Director. Instead, it depends on a whole range of interacting processes that reach into the school from outside. Academies were launched in the year 2001 with the aim of replacing inner-city secondary schools that were defined as requiring ‘special measures’ as a result of being inspected. What was distinctive about the early academies was that, although they were state-funded, they became autonomous from local authority control, had their own sponsor, and were given greater freedom regarding the national curriculum and national agreements on teachers’ pay and conditions. The concern with beyond-school factors was central to ‘Children’s Communities’, another Manchester initiative that was to later influence the development of the work in Glasgow
Introducing systematic simplicity to manage decisions: How a systematic simplicity approach builds clarity about opportunity, risk and uncertainty essential to all best practice decision making
No full textChris initially developed the systematic simplicity approach explored in this book working as a consultant with BP International for eight years in the 1970s and 80s on offshore North Sea oil projects. When the BP board approved the first project applying this approach, they mandated its use worldwide for all large or sensitive projects. The BP objectives included achieving 'risk efficiency' (a minimum level of risk for any given level of expected reward) in a 'clarity efficient' manner (a maximum level of relevant clarity for any given level of effort/cost) plus the delivery of projects on time and within budget. These objectives were realised for the decade this approach was employed, prior to placing more risk with contractors and a portfolio of other interrelated corporate changes. IBM UK used Chris in a central role for a 1990s culture change programme addressing what is now seen as 'opportunity management', adapting a version of the BP approach to enable all IBM staff to avoid risk of the wrong kind, but take more risk of the right kind, understanding the difference, and understanding the difference between good luck and good management, bad luck and bad management.This book explores the basic deliverables of the systematic simplicity approach used by IBM and its BP foundations as subsequently employed by many other adopters in Part 1. Parts 2 and 3 address further aspects of project, operations and corporate management, including strategy formation, safety and the processes underlying all systematic simplicity approaches. They use further examples based on extensive Ontario Hydro, National Power, UK Nirex, Railtrack and UK MoD consultancy engagements.Routledge published the book 'Enlightened Planning' by Chris Chapman in 2019. It generalises the systematic simplicity approach and associated critiques of common practice in the 2011 Wiley book 'How to Manage Project Opportunity and Risk' by Chris Chapman and Stephen Ward, the extensively revised and retitled third edition of their 1997 bestseller 'Project Risk Management'. These books received strong endorsements from a wide range of international experts, but they provide a level of detail some readers of this book may not need.This book has been written for a very wide audience, to provide a concise and relatively short but comprehensive introduction to the systematic simplicity concepts and operational tools covered by the book 'Enlightened Planning' plus the underlying earlier literature it builds upon. It is about how systematic simplicity can deliver what all 'best practice' ought to deliver
Enlightened planning: using systematic simplicity to clarify opportunity, risk and uncertainty for much better management decision making
No full textStrategy, risk management and project management are often considered separately by those applying their principles—but at their most effective, all are dependent upon each other for success. Enlightened Planning teaches this holistic perspective and demonstrates how a synthesis of these approaches yields far greater opportunities. A strategic, calculated risk, for example, can be less inherently risky than chronic risk aversion over time.Here, a respected specialist and teacher demonstrates how to become an 'enlightened planner', one that is aware of project, strategy and risk concerns, and their potential interplay. Following the core principle of Keep It Simple Systematically, he shows how organised, systematic thought processes can demystify the complexities of decision-making when considering a huge variety of concerns at once.Supported throughout with real-life cases from the author’s considerable experiences with commercial organisations, it is also supported by a website containing even more cases, learning and teaching materials. This book is essential reading for any practitioner specialising in risk management, project management or strategy; as well as those teachers or participants in executive programmes
Modular decision analysis : an introduction in the context of a theoretical basis for consumer demand analysis
No full textDoes school-to-school collaboration promote school improvement? A study of the impact of school federations on student outcomes
No full textThis study adopted a quantitative methodology involving a matched sample of federated and non-federated schools and utilising multilevel modelling techniques to explore the impact of federations on student outcomes. The sample involves a total of 50 school districts and 264 schools. These are grouped into 122 federations; 264 comparator schools were selected to match these. The study has identified 6 broad and sometimes overlapping categories of federations. The findings suggest there is evidence of impact on overall performance, in that, while federation and comparator schools perform similarly at baseline, federation is positively related to performance in the years following federation. There is evidence to suggest that impact is strongest in performance federations. There is no relationship between federation and inspection judgements or differential impact on students from different socioeconomic settings. In conclusion, this article reflects on the findings to discuss the key implications for future research, policy, and practice.<br/
Developing equitable education systems
No full textAchieving sustainable improvements in education systems, particularly amongst learners from disadvantaged communities, is a major challenge faced by most countries. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes and analyses work carried out by researchers at the University of Glasgow’s Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change over recent years in addressing this challenge within the Scottish education system. It is also important to note that only half of the world’s children receive pre-primary education, a failure that limits children’s futures and deepens inequities in later learning. Significantly, the disadvantaged are least served by quality early childhood care and education, although they benefit most from such interventions. Despite the efforts made in response to such global thinking, there remains a gap between the achievements of students from rich and poor families in most parts of the world
Educational effectiveness improvement research policy and practice: the rise of performance-based reform
No full textSystems of educational organisation are run in three ways (Anderson, 2005):• Through ‘regulatory’ responsibility to rules, regulations etc. (what can be called ‘administrative accountability’);• Through adherence to ‘professional’ norms, values and standards (‘professional accountability’);• Through ‘results driven’ accountability related to the effectiveness and efficiency of the educational system in generating desired outcomes (‘performance’ or ‘outcome accountability’).The first method demands compliance with rules, regulations and laws – current procedures about child protection are an example of this, as are the current Inspection Frameworks (albeit differently administered in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The second method specifies the professional conduct, behaviour and processes expected from groups of professionals – the ‘Association of Educational Psychologists Code of Conduct’ is an example of this kind of accountability. And the third method attempts to take performance data about how well educational systems and schools individually have been doing into the society outside schools and colleges in order to give information to government, parents and the general public, which they will then use to inform their decisions about education.The direction of travel over the last 30 years, internationally, has been strongly of the third type - performance based reforms - using the ‘demand’ side of education as a lever of improvement through parents choosing what they see as more appropriate schools for their children, and monitoring the performance of these schools and the education system more generally. Performance based reform has also been linked to the supply side of education directly – to the actions and operation of the national and local ‘states’ that run public education. This latter model is therefore one of simultaneous ‘supply-side/demand-side’ reform, and of ‘supply-side/demand-side’ accountability, and has become increasingly influential across the world’s educational systems over time. It is also closely related to the emergence and findings of EER.<br/
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