Educational change: a case study of nine school leaders in Prairie View School Division

Abstract

It has been said that the only thing constant in life is change. Whether it is a change in the seasons, in a stage of life or in one’s thinking, change is a part of the ebb and flow of living. Educational institutions are not immune from change, and indeed, should model the learning process and be the very places where practices and procedures are continuously being examined, revised, and enhanced. This qualitative study uses Michael Fullan’s Six Secrets of Change (love your employees; connect peers with purpose; capacity building prevails; learning is the work; transparency rules; and systems learn) as a filter through which to view the process of educational change. Nine school principals stratified across Early Years to Senior Years schools were interviewed to reflect on their personal experiences with facilitating educational change within their work contexts. The data collected from the interviews was collated according to each of the six secrets to discover what commonalities might exist. Each of the six secrets was discussed by presenting the supporting data and some generalizations were drawn. Data from the interviews indicated that all six secrets were evidenced in varying degrees.