Press Releases
INTO visit to Montgomery County District Schools, USA
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Montgomery County District Schools
INTO has participated in an educational research visit to Montgomery County in USA, which has developed its own School Improvement Project. The Project is a model which could inspire the Northern Ireland education system.
The National Education Association [NEA], [MSDC] President Bonnie Cullison told us [the 5 teachers’ unions in Northern Ireland] that her union in Montgomery County had changed its stance about 8 years ago. It moved into joint working with management emphasising to parents and ratepayers that under the new approach all children’s education would improve. This happened in terms of educational outcomes.
Teacher salaries are very good – probably higher than teachers’ salaries in the Republic. Pensions are 60% salary after 30 years’ service, much better than either the UK or Irish systems. Workload does not appear to be an undue problem. All teachers have Masters in Education. It is a District requirement to obtain one within 5 years of getting your first teaching job.
The NEA about 9 years ago put all principals out. They belong to another public service union. All in all there are 3 unions : Teachers, Principals and management and a NIPSA type support staff union. All 3 work jointly with management. Schools are places of teaching and learning. Everything is concentrated on the teacher in the classroom. Principals are not required to do administration or human resources. All is done from the Centre. The Centre is the employer. It determines the number of teachers. It runs the accountability regime which is very direct and focused. Its cost is between 2% and 5% of the total education expenditure. This compares favourably with the Northern Ireland 40% thus leaving more for teaching and learning in schools.
Montgomery County is a School Improvement Project which the local unions have bought into. The problems faced were twofold:
(i) Rapid change in the racial/ethnic enrolment 1970. Almost exclusively white in 1970, whites are now 39.1%; African Americans are now 23.1%; Asian Americans are now 15.5% and Hispanic constitute 22.1% of the school population. There was both an increase of 20,000 pupils over the period and a significant increase in social disadvantage and non English speaking. Over the 10 year period there was a 22% increase in diversity; 33% increase in poverty and 92% increase in non English speakers.
(ii) History of under-achievement amongst the African American and Hispanic pupils compared to whites and Asian Americans.
The project was to tackle these problems – increase the educational outcomes for whites and Asians whilst closing the gap with African Americans and Hispanics.
The plan is: ACCESS + Equity + Rigour = to have 80% of all pupils ready for College entry by 2014.
Issues to be addressed:
- Culture
- Sorting
- Expectations
- Distribution of resource
Seven keys to college readiness have been developed focusing on advanced reading, maths, algebra. All of this is monitored directly. It is working. The big issue is the monitoring and the transparency.
MCPS summarise this as:
- Expectations
- Conditions
- Support Systems
- Monitoring
- How can we create and support school cultures that support student success?
- How can we build the capacity of staff to promote equity for all students?
A focused School Improvement Team was formed, representative of offices, schools and trade unions.
From this came the need to build professional learning communities. Behind this was:
- A Common vision
- Shared leadership
- Clear collaboration and
- Use of data.
Implications for Northern Ireland - if any
In MC the classroom is the centre. Children’s educational outcomes are almost everything. The teachers we met were passionate about the project. The pupils we met were fantastic. The administrative and management structure is lean and mean and fit for purpose. There is no separate Department of Education, no Inspectorate and no Governors or the inflexibilities associated with local governance. The centre addresses need and allocates resources and staffing where needed most. Everything is done jointly with the union from global budget setting to micro management.
MC is semi autonomous but is a part of the state of Maryland [where strikes and industrial action for teachers are unlawful]. MC maintains its own autonomy and its educational outputs are much higher than in the rest of the State.
A theme of the study tour was the need to develop a closer working relationship with the education unions to achieve the necessary improvements in educational outcomes for all pupils. This could mean the above i.e:
- A Common Vision
- Shared leadership
- Clear collaboration and
- Use of data
MC has other advantages - a common system of public elementary, middle and 14/18 schools. Our system is currently more complicated with so many types of schools but a common employer like ESA may resolve a lot of this.
Children’s education has a lot to gain by INTO developing closer working relationships not just with the other teachers’ unions and support staff unions but ESA/DE. INTO would need to protect the autonomy and integrity of members and careful analysis would be required at various stages of any process.
INTO has decided to continue with the dialogue.