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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 085 327 SO 006 770 TITLE Case Studies of Educational Innovation: III. At the School Level. INSTITUTION Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France) . Centre for Educational. Research and Innovation. PUB DATE 73 NOTE 302p. AVAILABLE FROM OECD Publication Center, Suite 1207, 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 ($6.00) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$13.16 DESCRIPTORS Administrative Policy; Case Studies (Education); Comparative Education; Course Descriptions; Curriculum Development; *Educational Change; *Educational Innovation; Educational Objectives; *Educational Research; Experimental Schools; Models; Secondary Schools; Teacher Selection IDENTIFIERS Canada; Denmark; Finland; Norway; United Kingdom ABSTRACT The publication is the third of a series of four volumes on educational innovation and deals with change at the school level. Case studies are presented on deliberate educational innovations in five secondary schools: Contesthorpe College, United Kindgom; the Experimental Gymnasium, Norway; Thornlea School, Canada; Rodovre School, Denmark; and Tapiolan School, Finland. The administrative, social and historical contexts in which the school was developed,-its goals and purposes, and the management, implementation, and impact of the innovative practices and activities are discussed. Questionnaires used in the studies are provided. (Author/RM) PERMISSIONTO REPRODU(FTHIS COPY RIGHTED MATFITTAL HA4 KENGFIAN:FD AY 10 EPIC .740 ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING UNDER AGREFMEN1S WITH THE NATIONAL IN SillUTE OF EDUCATIONFURTHER REPRO DUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEMTIE QUIRES PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLECOPY This publication is one of a series of four volumes on educational innovation : Volume Iis concerned with central institutions ; Volume H deals with innovation at the regional level ; Volume III deals with innovation at the school level; Volume IV "Strategies for Innovation in Education", summarizes and draws conclusions based on the earlier volumes. Pr co Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) c:D tt=f LL1 CASE STUDIES OF EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION: III. AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT 1973 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which was set up under a Convention signed in Paris. on 14th December, 1960, provides that the OECD shall promote policies designed: to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, .while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The Members of OECD are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Centre for Educational Research and Innovation was created in June 1968 by the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for an initial period of three years, with the help of grants from the Ford Foundation and the Royal Dutch Shell Group of Companies.in May 1971, the Council decided that the Centre should continue its work for a period of five years as from 1st January, 1972. The main objectives of the Centre are as follows: to promote and support the development of research activities in education and undertake such research activities where appropriate; to promote and support pilot experiments with a view to introducing and testing innovations in the educational system; to promote the development of co-operation between Member countries in the field of educational research and hmovation. The Centre functions within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in accordance with the decisions of the Council of the Organisation, under the authority of the Secretary-General.It is supervised by a Governing Board composed of one national expert in its field of competence from each of the countries participating in its programme of work. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1973. Queries concerning permissions or translation rights should be addressed to: Director of Information, O.E.C.D. 2, rue Andre-Pascal, 75775 PARIS CEDEX 16, France, PREFACE During the last two decades the schools, which were traditionally the cornerstones of social stability and continuity, have become the crucible of social change. It was to be expected that societies which have opted for rapid economic and technological changes would be faced by deep social changes reaching into the schools. What perhaps was not bargained for is that - as increasing affluence has sparked off demands for equalitythe school itself has become the platform for social change. Today we call see the signs of a reaction, in terms of a rcemphasis of the educational as opposed to the social role of the school. The theme that standards of education should not be sacrificed to social aims is advanced to combat those who see the school as an instrument of social policy. In these circumstances the theme of innovation in education is as sensi- tive as it is important. Yet no one can doubt that all countries are impelled towards a headlong process of change in the schools, and that an assessment of attempts to make this an effective process is overdue. For whatever the different social attitudes concerning the role and its role in society,it is not feasible to expect a standstill in the school whilst at the same time accepting a rapid process of economic, technological and cultural change in the surround- ing community. Some way has to be found of relating the school to this process of change in a way that widens opportunities for children, maintains educational standards and recognises that the school must have a foot in both the past and the future. However, to talk of strategies of innovation, which is to be the general subject of a series of CERI reports, is to assume that it is possible to plan and manage the process of change in the schools. Such an assumption is some- times challenged on the grounds that organisational structures to promote educational change will become a "technocracy of innovation'', and thereby stifle the c eativeness of the teachers in particular and the schools in general. But is not the reality that what the teacher and his pupils can achieve is greatly constrained by lack of information, resources andlet it be said - organisation. 3 Potential innovations assail the schools on all sides with little hope of a consid- ered or systematic evaluation - so that they may be rejected or adopted accord- ing to proven merit. Surely the answar lies in some sort of balance between an organised process and the free initiative of the individual school or teacher, a balance that will be struck in different ways in different countries according to their traditions. CERI's studies on innovation in education have tried to evaluate what is actually happening in different Member countries to achieve this balance, and to establish effective institutions in the different national circumstances. Seventeen case-studies have been carried out at the national, regional and school levels (for the list see below), involving the efforts of some twenty- four research workers. The aim has been to diagnose the reasons for success and failure, and to probe the conditions under which planners, administrators and teachers can work together effectively. The results of this major study will be published in four volumes, of which the present Report is Number III,as follows : Case studies of educational innovation I - at the central level II at the regional level III at the school level IV Strategies for Innovation in Education - A synthesis The broad conclusion to be reached from all this work is that, regardless of educationa. philosophy and political traditions, all countries are now grappling with the probi.i,im of organising a continuing process of change in schools. Already many new institutions are emerging, and the elements of policy begin to be defined. No country can afford to ignore these trends, even if only be- cause the schools are influenced by new ideas from other countries as well as those from within national boundaries. A policy for innovation, and institutions to produce it,is becoming necessary in one form or another, It is hoped that this series of reports will assist countries to build their own arrangements faster and more effectively than would otherwise be possible. CERI owes its appreciation to many individuals, institutions and author- ities for the vast amount of willing energy that has been devoted to the comple- tion of these volumes. They are too many to be thanked individually, but their contributions will emerge as the series of reports is published. J. R. Gass Director Centre for Educational Research and innovation 4 CASE STUDIES OF EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION : III AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL Part One Countesthorpe College, United Kingdom, by Gerald Bernbaum, University of Leicester. Part Two The Experimental Gymnasium, Oslo, Norway, by Trond Hauge Part Three Thornlea School, Ontario, Canada, by Michael Fullan, Tne Ontario Institute for Studies