1. An Ontario Perspective on Education Policy and Practice Asia Society/CCSSO Washington, April 2010 Ben Levin OISE – University of Toronto (with thanks to Michael Fullan)

3. Ontario 13 million people 2 million students Very diverse – 25%+ foreign born 4,000 elementary. 900 secondary schools 72 local school districts from very small to very large 4 distinct, self-governing systems 120,000 teachers, fully unionized, 4 unions 5% enrolled in private schools

4. Ontario in 2003 Stagnant student achievement in literacy and numeracy Declining high school graduation rate Much public conflict Growing private school enrolment Low morale of teachers and administrators

5. Ontario — 2009 Literacy and numeracy achievement(including higher order skills) increased by 13 percentage points Number of low performing schools cut by 75% High school graduation rate increased from 68% to 79% - 20,000 more per year Attrition rate of new teachers in the first four years of teaching has declined by two-thirds from 32% to 9% Ownership, commitment and capacity to go deeper is strong

6. Ontario Strategy Unwavering commitment from the top Three simple goals – better outcomes, greater equity, improved public confidence Guiding Coalition monitoring implementation Change in the Ministry of Education/ capacity to engage in implementation Partnership with the sector Focus on collective capacity building with link to results Transparency of results and practices Reduce distractors including establishing long-term (4-year) collective agreements

7. The Content Moral purpose with respect to raising the bar and closing the gap for the well being of children Literacy Numeracy High school graduation Early learning (The above are deeply defined to include higher order skills and associated instructional innovation)

8. Implementation Strategies High standards Clear, accessible data *Collective capacity building Transparent accountability (re results of practice) *The most powerful strategy and typically the most underutilized

9. The Reinforcers Resolute leadership Respect for the sector Communication Reduce the distractors

10. Directional Solutions Individual capacity is arithmetical;collective capacity is geometrical Capacity without serious delivery = squandered reform Delivery without capacity = superficial reform Collective capacity + serious delivery = outstanding reform Collective capacity is an investment in the long-term health of the system Barber & Fullan, 2010

11. Incentives That Work for Teachers Reasonable salaries Decent surroundings Extensive professional learning Opportunity to work with and learn from others Supportive and even assertive leadership about the agenda Getting helpful feedback Reasonable class size Long term collective agreements (4 years) Realizable moral purpose Leithwood (2006)

12. In Sum Have a clear strategy Ground it in evidence Focus on doing it Get lots of feedback and adjust Respect and work with partners