EOI Cohort 12

Cohort 8’s Final Workshop

On November 16th, Cohort 8 completed the 3 year Fogarty EDvance program. In their final workshop we celebrated their achievements with the presentation of change stories – ensuring each school was able to highlight and share their achievements over the course of the program.

Huge congratulations to Albany Primary School, Bridgetown High School, Champion Bay Senior High School, Geraldton Senior High School, Karratha Senior High School, Meadow Springs Primary School, Our Lady of Mercy Primary School, St Brigid’s School (Collie), St John’s School (Rangeway), St Mary’s School, South Padbury Primary School, Warnbro Community High School Education Support Centre and Yanchep Secondary College.

Overall, the 3 year program’s performance was highly rated and exceeded the expectations of participants. The weighted average rating stands at a promising 8.6/10, reflecting a positive and high-performing environment. 100% of attendees stated in the end of year survey that the program had made them a better leader, improved their teams leadership and made them more capable of developing other leaders.

It’s great to see positive feedback from school leaders who have participated in the program. Here are some key points highlighted in their feedback:

“We have a shared vision, a clear pathway for improvement in our teaching practices and commitment to our Moral Purpose.”

“Implementing change is such a difficult thing to do when faced with all the urgent day-to-day occurrences in a school, so having a clear plan helps our leadership team to remain focused and keep chipping away.”

“I feel my growth will continue to develop as we embed what I have learnt over the three years in to our school.”

“Learning how to be an effective leader. Understanding what needs to happen to make changes that ensure growth and success at our school.”

“Shared vision. Clear direction and goals. Unskilled leaders effectively to achieve change and best outcomes for our students.”

In the words of one respondent, a call to action reverberates: “Principals of schools not in this program – wake up. The accountability the program instills in your role is invaluable.” The success of Cohort 8 serves as an inspiration and a reminder of the transformative power of dedicated leadership in the pursuit of educational excellence.

Congratulations to all participants on this remarkable journey, and may the positive ripples of the Fogarty EDvance program continue to shape the future of education in our state.

Cohort 8 – Workshop 12
Cohort 8 – Workshop 12
Cohort 8 – Workshop 12
Wendy Cohort 8 – Workshop 12
Stacey Cohort 8 – Workshop 12
Mentors Cohort 8 – Workshop 12

In response to recent challenges, Fogarty EDvance workshops are now being delivered with a livestream option via the Microsoft Teams platform. This is a hybrid approach so participants can attend workshops in the easiest and safest way.

Throughout Term 1, this was a popular option for school leaders, allowing them to include team members who were not available to attend the face-to-face sessions. For some regional schools who were understaffed it meant they were able to participate in the program, without needing to travel to Perth during a challenging time for their schools.  Breakout rooms were also advantageous for connecting schools and allowing them to network, a great strength of the EDvance program.

Whilst these challenges remain, this will be a method we will offer in addition to face to face workshops, which is the recommended way of participation. We look forward to returning to the all ‘face to face’ approach soon.

The Secondary Teacher Leader (STL) Program is a 9-month professional development program for Heads of Learning Areas and Level 3 teachers in EDvance secondary schools. 

This year, over 70 middle level leaders from 12 Fogarty EDvance schools are part of the fourth group of schools to participate in the Program. Their first workshop focussed on:

With EDvance schools located throughout Western Australia, a more tailored program has been designed so that regional school leaders can access professional learning. The three clusters of the STL Program for 2022 include:

Many of the EDvance Alumni schools have taken part in the STL program a number of times, allowing for their newer middle level leaders to benefit from the professional learning. 

The STL program is designed with a focus on building the capacity of middle level leaders by introducing them to the evidence base for effective school improvement and driving leadership in their learning areas.

Fifteen West Australian schools have commenced their school improvement journey with the Fogarty EDvance School Improvement Program. School leadership teams from primary, secondary, regional, metropolitan, public and Catholic schools have now begun their 3-year journey; a journey that for previous EDvance schools has significantly improved the academic outcomes for many West Australian students. 

Established by the Fogarty Foundation, the program focuses on building the capacity of school leadership teams to make informed, evidence-based decisions, strategically plan and ultimately, improve the academic outcomes of students in challenging communities.  

Congratulations to the following schools who make up Cohort 9 of the Fogarty EDvance School Improvement Program:

The Fogarty EDvance program has engaged with 126 schools, working with more than 400 school leaders who are impacting more than 58,000 students. 

Thirty school leaders and teachers attended the first EDvance Alumni workshop for 2022, with a webinar focused on a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. These schools have established professional learning communities and a whole school approach to high-impact instruction.

The Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum workshop builds on the work already commenced by the schools by ensuring all students are provided access to the same curriculum content in a specific course and grade level, regardless of their assigned teacher, and that this curriculum can be taught in the instructional time available.

Run as a full-day webinar, due to COVID-19 restrictions, feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with participants enjoying how the content was delivered, noting that it was relevant and easy to understand, providing participants with comprehensive knowledge.

High-Impact Instruction in a Primary Context

Teachers from our EDvance schools had the opportunity to take part in some inspiring optional sessions this term. Brooke Wardana and Anthony Chiappalone facilitated an engaging workshop about High Impact Instruction in the primary context. Fifty-nine teachers from 15 schools across Cohort 3 to 7 attended the workshop. Brooke and Anthony worked with participants on developing a firm understanding of the evidence base for high impact instruction and demonstrated daily reviews using high impact instruction lesson delivery and design strategies. Participant feedback was extremely positive:

“Participating in the hands on lesson demonstrations was useful to consolidate the research and strategies at the beginning of the session.”

“The objectives were met with lots of examples for teachers to go on and implement in their class no matter what level they are teaching.”

Explicit Instruction in a Secondary Context

Dr Lorraine Hammond presented the evidence-base for Explicit Instruction as an instructional approach to teaching and learning in a secondary context. Thirty-five participants across 11 schools and from Cohorts 4 to 7 attending the workshop. Dr Hammond took a deep dive into the Principles of Instruction and explained how including daily reviews as part of a lesson reduces cognitive load and allows information to be committed into the long-term memory. She also unpacked the elements of daily reviews by providing examples, and opportunities for participants to view videos of daily reviews in practice.  Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive:

“I thought it was fantastic!  I was able to see EI presented from the start – which helped as I had previously been taught about it in small chunks – whilst I was still a little confused.  Now 2.5 years later I was able to consolidate what I know and clear up misconceptions.”

“it is interesting to observe teachers using best practice and this helped me to consolidate my understanding of exemplar teaching.”

Given the COVID-19 pandemic and associated challenges to the WA education system, Fogarty EDvance has determined that the best course of action is to carry out a ‘soft’ launch of Cohort 8, commencing in 2021. The soft launch will involve only 1 – 2 workshop days in Term 1, with additional workshops in Terms 2, 3 and 4 of 2021.

We will shortly be asking for expressions of interest from metro and regional, primary and secondary schools in Western Australia, who are interested in applying to join the Fogarty EDvance School Improvement Program. We will only proceed to launch Cohort 8 in circumstances where we have achieved a minimum number of interested schools.

One major change for the application process with Cohort 8 is that Fogarty EDvance is now in a position to allow schools with an ICSEA of between 990 and 1050 to apply to join the program. For further details about the eligibility criteria, please direct all queries to Katie Webster at katie.odriscoll@fogartyedvance.au

We will be running a half-day Transformation Framework recruitment workshop on Wednesday, 26 August, 2020 (in person) and Thursday, 27 August, 2020 (via webinar) (Week 6, Term 3) for school leaders to learn more about the Fogarty EDvance program. All current EDvance schools are invited to attend for a refresher, or send any new school leaders along for professional learning – more details and a registration link will be sent out next term.

If you know of any schools or school leaders in your networks that may be interested in knowing more about Fogarty EDvance and potentially being part of Cohort 8, please contact Katie Webster at katie.odriscoll@fogartyedvance.au.

Congratulations to Samantha Benn, Principal at Koorana Primary School (Cohort 4) for completing a Masters in Education at Edith Cowan University. Here’s what Samantha had to say about her involvement with the Fogarty EDvance program and attaining Advanced Standing at ECU:

“I was fortunate to participate in Cohort 4 of the Fogarty EDvance Program, initially as a Deputy Principal and more recently, as Principal at Koorana Primary School. The experience for me has been invaluable in gaining the skills and insights necessary to lead effectively and to drive improved educational outcomes for our students. The unrelenting focus on high impact approaches and evidence-based research at the core of the EDvance Program has been pivotal in our success at Koorana Primary School and on a personal level, has built my leadership skills to effectively take on the role of Principal.

One of the biggest challenges for school leaders is effectively managing the day-to-day operations of the school whilst maintaining enough time, energy and capacity to drive the school strategically; focusing on what matters most and ensuring the work towards sustained improvement is consistently taking place. For me, the tools, learning and expertise provided through the EDvance Program enable this to happen, recognising that every minute counts and driving detailed, challenging and intelligent approaches to whole school strategic planning.

Through my engagement with the EDvance Program, I was also able to attain Advanced Standing for four units towards a Master in Education (Leading Education specialisation) at Edith Cowan University. The program provided equivalent learning and expertise across a range of contemporary themes including Leading in Challenging Contexts and Leading for Improvement.

Samantha Benn Principal, Koorana Primary School (Cohort 4)

In 2019, I took the plunge and went on to complete a further four units to complete the course. This enabled me to further strengthen my leadership skill set and explore global themes in education including pedagogy, assessment and equity as well as develop a grounding in educational research. This experience, combined with the EDvance program has certainly broadened my capacity as an educational leader and provided me with a valuable global view in this area. I am proud to say I have recently completed my Master in Education with high distinction and would like to thank the Fogarty EDvance team for this outstanding opportunity for professional and personal growth.”

For further information on attaining Advanced Standing at Edith Cowan University, please contact Georgie Wynne at georgie.wynne@fogartyedvance.au

Congratulations and welcome to all Cohort 7 schools who will commence the Fogarty EDvance School Improvement Program in February this year. School leadership teams from both primary and secondary, regional and metro and public and Catholic schools will come together in Perth for their first few workshops of the 3 year school improvement journey.

School Principal Location
Bluff Point Primary School Celine Bellve Bluff Point, Geraldton region
Busselton Senior High School Dainon Coiuzic Busselton
Cassia Primary School Narelle Ward South Hedland
Como Secondary College Digby Mercer Como
Darkan Primary School Eloisa Goss Darkan, Wheatbelt region
Endeavour Schools Chris Burgess & Jayne Gorbould Mandurah
Greenbushes Primary School Kylie Loney Greenbushes
Lakelands Primary School Bradden Mitchell Lakelands
Mullewa District High School Nicki Patterson Mullewa, Geraldton region
Newman Senior High School Carolyn Cook Newman
Nollamara Primary School Bradley Trpchev Nollamara
Sacred Heart Primary School Steve Gibbs Thornlie
Swan View Senior High School George Sekulla Swan View
Xavier Catholic School Travis Bienkowski Hilbert

Thank you to all of those in the FED Network for your assistance and support during the recruitment drive for Cohort 7. We are really excited to see where these school leaders take their schools in the next 3 years!

Please contact Georgie Wynne at georgie.wynne@fogartyedvance.au if you have any questions about Cohort 7.

In November 2019, Fogarty EDvance launched a new initiative for EDvance primary schools entering Year 2 of the School Improvement Program – known as the FED Instructional Adviser model (IA model).

The IA model partners EDvance school leaders together with other schools that have previously been part of the Fogarty EDvance program and have successfully transformed classroom instruction in their schools. The main aim of the IA model is to build the capacity of instructional leadership in schools throughout Western Australia.

There is growing support for school leaders collaborating with other school leaders that have navigated a similar challenge in changing teaching practice – see for example, Networks for School Improvement (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and the Communities of Practice approach in Victoria (Bastow Institute). Other Fogarty EDvance initiatives, including school visits as part of Year 1 of the program and the FED Explicit Instruction Secondary Network, have also demonstrated the impact of intra-school collaboration on teaching practice.

The partnership between schools is supported by FED Mentors, the FED team and requires up to 4 structured meetings a year. The IA schools for 2020 include:

Fogarty EDvance will continue to update the FED Network on the success and impact of the new initiative towards the end of 2020.

For any questions or comments regarding the IA model, please contact Katie O’Driscoll at katie.odriscoll@fogartyedvance.au.