Basil Jarrett | Reforming school boards

COMING ON the heels of Professor Orlando Patterson’s recent report on the state of education in Jamaica, a joint select committee has been appointed to consider and report on The Jamaica Teaching Council Act, 2022. That committee has since invited persons, groups and stakeholders within the education sector to make submissions or recommendations regarding the bill, as part of an inclusive, democratic approach to finally fixing our education woes. I have been very vocal in my support of this principle of inclusiveness as no one individual or group or stakeholder should be allowed to monopolise or dictate the conversation, especially on a matter as crucial as the education of our sons and daughters. And as much as I embrace and endorse Professor Patterson’s comprehensive work, I still believe that there is significant benefit to be gained by allowing external bodies to cross-examine and refine some of what he and his team have started.

LEADERSHIP MATTERS

Indeed, Professor Patterson’s report was extremely thorough. So much so that I still haven’t been able to digest all 346 pages. But the military being in me makes me a big believer in good governance and strong leadership and so I’ve honed in on those sections of the report that focus on school boards, school leadership and school governance. When millions of dollars are pumped into a football team, and that team fails to win anything, the first finger is pointed at the management staff, specifically the coach – just ask poor Tappa. And if we similarly want to see our schools improve, then we must similarly focus on the school’s leadership and its governance – specifically, its board.

School boards are absolutely vital to the governance and well-ordered running of the school. They are not only responsible for the school’s management, administration, discipline and teacher and staff welfare, but they also shoulder the weight of the school’s academic fortunes. And just like your favourite football team’s management staff, the role of the board chairman is akin to that of the head coach. As Manchester United fans learnt when Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, there is a direct correlation between management’s effectiveness and the team’s overall performance. The same applies to our schools and their boards.

BETTER BOARDS BETTER SCHOOLS

Professor Patterson examined board effectiveness versus school performance by analysing data related to the leadership and management of schools, as provided by the National Education Inspectorate in its 2015-2019 report. The report showed that:

In 2015, 41 per cent of school leaders were found unsatisfactory, with 59 per cent satisfactory or better. Between 2016 and 2019, however, subsequent reports showed significant improvement over the 2015 baseline, moving from 59 per cent to 76 per cent being rated satisfactory or better.

Over the same period, 45 per cent of a sample of primary schools were found to be effective in 2015, compared to 63 per cent in 2016 – an 18-point improvement. This overall leap, Patterson argued, reflected a strong correlation between leadership and management and overall effectiveness as the schools with exceptionally high leadership and management scores had a similarly high overall effectiveness score. While teaching is by quite some distance the most important factor in a school’s effectiveness, these results do suggest that better boards do make better schools.

AN END TO BOARD PERPETUITY

In focusing on school boards, the Patterson report made several important recommendations aimed at addressing some of their deficiencies. The committee called for a reform in how board members are selected and appointed and cautioned that board members must be properly trained and introduced to the provisions and requirements of Jamaica’s Education Regulations. He also recommended that the school board membership selection process should be more rigorous and exacting, and that membership, including that of the board chair, be limited to two consecutive three-year terms. This, Patterson argued, would allow for enhanced renewal over time and create opportunities for fresh, new ideas and approaches that can better serve the school and its students.

The report also recommended that board members should be properly vetted and trained, in keeping with best practice for other bodies in the public sector. Of great importance, too, Patterson cautioned that board chairs should have excellent negotiating, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and should demonstrate sound ethical, moral and legal judgement and decision-making.

I would not want to give the impression that the report focused exclusively on school boards. It touched heavily on recommendations regarding other aspects of our education system, such as early childhood education, tertiary education, teacher training, the school curriculum, finance, technology and, very importantly, school performance rankings. It is indeed thorough and comprehensive.

But aside from its focus on boards and board governance issues, I was also very attracted to the themes of collaboration and involvement which were present throughout. No individual or group has all the ideas or solutions to such a complex problem, especially in the context of the lessons learnt and the setbacks encountered due to COVID-19. If we are to truly create an education system that serves our children as best as it could, the discussion must be done in a space where all voices must not only contend, but must be encouraged to contend. I would strongly recommend that persons who are interested in making submissions to the joint select committee on the bill familiarise themselves with the Patterson report first, as I believe it to be a very sound point of departure.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.