Governance and Government

Websters definition of Governance and Government

So Government is the people who practice Governance.

How Governance structures applies to students
- Through the school act students are required to go to school from age 7 - 16 years old
- The School Act also defines other ways in which students are involved in Education

Spruce Grove Composite High Schools, mission, vision and values goals and responsibilities

The schools method for accessing values is found in their educational plan.

Roles and Responsibilities in Meetings

Chairperson
Committee Leaders

Invited Speaker/ Guest: the role is to present outside information to the meeting that maybe important to the members of the organization. Their responsibility is to present a proposal for discussion on a particular topic or idea.

Members of an organization have an interest in the organization. Their role is to attend and give input when asked sometimes they bring added data to the meeting if relevant. Their responsibility is to attend, bring forth motions, and vote .


Visitors are special guests from outside the organization that you invite in to give advise and opinions on what is being discussed or to be observers of the meeting. Their role is to provide outside input. Their responsibility is to be well prepared on their topic of discussion.

Meetings

• The purpose of formal meetings is to conduct the business of the organization, to set policy's and to inform the members of the organization as to the various issues arising from previous meetings or activities conducted by the organization.

• The purpose of Committee Meetings is to discuss and research an issue assigned to them from the formal meeting and to bring back the results to the formal meeting.

• Informal Meetings are for information gathering in an informal setting. It purpose is to research and gather information on a project or issue that refer back to the committee or formal meeting.

Meeting agenda and purpose
How to make meetings more efficent

Team Building

Team building is important so that people can work together at a task more effectively. For example one team member maybe good at administration and another team member may be good at relational building and you need them both to get the job done. It is important to find out the strengths and weaknesses of all team members before beginning the project.


Possible behaviors in meetings:

There are a variety of behaviors in meetings such as: a passive person who says nothing, the overly talkative person (who does not stop talking), argumentative person who does not listen to others but argues on every issue,and controlling person who controls the meeting not allowing input from other members.

Describe and demonstrate how the Chairperson
may:
increase task-directed behavior

• State the task to the group
• Ask for group input related to the task
• Work with group to develop a plan to achieve the task
  

 decrease disruptive behavior

• Bring the group back to the task
  
• Directly address people who are disruptive
  

 minimize stalling behavior

• Encourage group to move on
  
• Offer to talk to stalling individual later
  

 encourage individual participation

• Ask if anyone else has any input
  
• If you know someone has something to contribute ask them directly
  

 establish a positive and effective team
approach to student governance

• Clearly set out a positive mandate for the whole team
• Encourage everyone to participate as a team
• Reward team accomplishment
  

Synergy

Synergy

Positive and negative effects of synergy are

"Positive synergy is sometimes called the 2 + 2 = 5 effect. Operating independently, each subsystem can produce two units of output. However, by combining their efforts and working together effectively, the two subsystems can produce five units of output.
Negative synergy can be called the 2 + 2 = 3 effect. Again, individuals operating alone can each produce two units of output. However, with negative synergy, the combination of their efforts results in less output than what they would have achieved if they had each worked alone. Negative synergy can result from inefficient committees, business units that lack strategic fit, and from other poorly functioning joint efforts." (see above link)

Describe the relationship among synergy and:
 problem solving

• Two people or a team are often better than one if they work together and feed off each other in solving the problem
  

 decision making

• Bringing more than one perspective on an issue together leads to a better decision
  

 consensus building

• It is very difficult to build a consensus without positive synergy
  

Parlementary Procedure

The purpose of Parliamentary procedure is to help people make group decisions after a full, fair, and free discussion.

Parliamentary vocabulary

Agenda (or Order of Business) - The regular program of procedure of an organization.

Amend - To alter a motion by addition, deletion, or in any other way.

Chair - The Chairman or presiding officer. "Addressing the Chair" means speaking to the presiding officer. Being "Recognized by the Chair" means being given permission to speak further.

Power of Chair - The Chairman has the following authority:
a. to decide in what order speakers shall be recognized
b. to refuse to recognize members offering dilatory, absurd, or frivolous motions
c. to restrain speakers within the limits of the rules
d. to enforce good decorum
e. to appoint committees
f. to decide points of order
g. to vote in cases where the vote would make or break a tie
h. The chair should avoid influencing a vote by his own comment on a motion.

Actions of the chair are subject to appeal.

Commit - To refer to a committee

Committee of the Whole - The meeting, on a motion duly made, may "resolve itself into a committee of the whole." This means that the meeting is officially discontinued while everyone remains and becomes a member of a large special committee, which includes everyone present. A special chairman is appointed to preside over the committee.

Division - When all those voting stand in separate "for" and "against" groups.

Division of Question - To separate a motion into different parts that are considered individually.

Floor - The privilege of speaking before the assembly.

Indefinite Postponement - The object is not merely to "postpone" but in effect to reject the motion.

Informal Consideration - When a member moves for "informal consideration," and the motion is adopted, the meeting lays aside formal rules, and allows each committee member to speak on the subject under consideration.

Motion - A formal proposal to a meeting that it take certain action.

Order - An expression of the will of the assembly, in the form of a command.

Order of the Day - A motion to drop the present discussion, and that the chairman announce the next matter to be taken up in accordance with the organization’s customary business routine.

Parliamentary Inquiry - An investigation to determine the proper course of procedure.

Privilege - The privileges and rights of the meeting in connection with matters of physical comfort or ineligibility or misconduct of a member in the meeting.

Question - The question is a proposition or motion that has been placed before the meeting for action by the chairman. To "move the question" is to demand that the chairman take a vote on the current motion.

Resolution - An act of the assembly that declares facts, expresses opinion, but does not command.

Suspension of Rules - To allow something to be done that would otherwise violate the meeting rules, but is not in conflict with the constitution or by-laws, or with the fundamental principles of parliamentary law.

Table - To delay action on a motion.

Motions and rules of Parliament

Roberts rules

Privileged motions

Incidental Motions

Subsidiary Motions

Some Main and Unclassified Motions

Role of speaker in the house of commons

Goverence and Administation

describe and explain the relationship between a
governance structure, its procedures and its
administration

• The schools act and local School Boards determine the Governance structure for schools.The Superintendent of schools is responsible for all the principals and the principals are responsible for what happens in the schools. The teachers and other staff are under contract and both of these affect the procedures for administration in the school.
  

Identify the strengths and the limitations among
the governance structure, its procedures and its
administration

• One of the strengths of the Alberta system is that : there is generally common procedures and curriculum throughout the province.
• Some limitations are: that community schools are closed or programs are implemented such as the Middle School program against the needs and desires of the community.

See Project Plan

Decision making

Compare the decision-making roles and impacts
of:
 assigned leaders

• Will make decisions based primarily on the role they are assigned
• The impact will depend on how followers perceive the assigned leader and the decision being made
  

 ascribed leaders

• They make decisions based on the beliefs of the movement that has ascribed them to be leader
• There decisions will likely be followed and have a significant impact unless they make decisions against beliefs of the movement
  

 primary decision makers

• They make the main decisions in an organization
  
• Their impact will depend on how the Secondary and Tertiary follow up their decisions
  

 secondary decision makers

• Need to make there decisions based on the primary decision maker
• Their impact depends on the decisions of the Tertiary decision makers
  

 tertiary decision makers

• Need to make there decisions based on the secondary decision maker
• Their impact depends on acceptance by others in the organization that are affected by the decision
  

 interest groups

• Can try and influence decision makers
• Their impact will be based on there being able to persuade the decision makers
  

 opinion leaders

• Will be able to lead by giving there opinions in there area of expertise
  
• Their impact will be directly related to there expertise , their advice in areas of non-expertise will not be followed.
  

Describe the current decision-making structure in
the school and the community

• The Department of Education has a three year plan that they pass down to School Board that passes it down to the school and the Principal consults with Teachers and School Council and makes decisions regarding their school plan that is approved by the School Board.
• This plan, The School Act and polices of the School Board and school are used in decision making processes at the school.
• Day to day decision are made by administration and some decisions are made by the teachers

The Community

• A City Council is selected by the people, who hires a City Manager, who overseas various departments. The City Council gives overall direction and budget approval to the City Manager who makes decisions with the various departments.
  

Identify and assess the role played by the
leadership groups listed above.

• The School Board and the City Council make decisions regarding policy
  
• The Superintendent and the City Manager make overall day to day decisions
• The principals and the department heads make operational decisions
  

Change

• Change is a constantly happening because of advances in civilization and technology. We live in a globalized world where everything is interconnected and change occurs rapidly. For example China and India are developing rapidly and becoming modern supper powers of the world perhaps replacing countries such as Canada and the United States of America.

• There has been curriculum changes in the High School and junior high. There has also been a change from junior high to Middle School. Also courses have been lost do to lack of student interest,parents being unaware of what is happening in the education system and funding. The impact has affected students options, further education goals and learning potential. Also it has changed the option program for Jr High by busing students to schools one school for art one school for music and one school for drama thus decreasing the options available at the schools decreasing the students potential. More time was given to core subjects and less to options. This has affected the community because parents are forced to register their kids in options they do not want to take. The quality of the music, art, and industrial arts has decreased in order for a more recreational orientated curriculum. The band program has disappeared and the German and Japanese program has suffered as well.

• The School Division decided to move to middle school to accommodate the building of a new school. A task force was set up with representation of parents and administration to consider proposals presented by administration.Many parents and students were opposed to the switch Middle School and there voices were not heard by administration. A plan was developed by administration and presented to school councils and the community for feedback( very little of the feedback was considered). The first year of implementation was administration driven and a survey of parents was conducted that suggested changes that needed to be made. Several were made. The middle school program is now improved but is not as good from an academic and career perspective as the previous Jr.High program.

Change Agents

What is a change agent

Four types of change agents that Daniel P Forrester identifies in his book The governments New Breed of Change Agents Leading the War on Terror:

1. "Transformational leaders- Bold visionaries and often senior political appointees. Modes of operation : Forceful, focused, tenacious, seasoned.
2. Over Authorized Senior Directors: ‘Make it all happen’ major program managers, Modes of operation: Collaborative, manage up,down and inter-agency
3. Functional Mavens-Deep subject matter experts with critical cross-agency inputs to change and transformation Modes of operation: Seek to innovate functional expertise within context of a common vision
4. Dogged Conceptualizers- The big idea people who act patiently and know intuitively that “every good idea has its day "Modes of Operation : Independent operators who powerfully feed concepts to Transformational Leaders, Over-authorized Senior Directors, and Functional Mavens."(Forrester)

Differences between Internal and External Change agents

- Internal agents works within and organization to bring about change.

- External agents works outside an organization to bring about change.

Differences between Formal and Informal change agents

- Formal agents has a formal responsibility for change

-Informal agents bring about change in an informal way

Differences between Administrative and "grass roots" change agents

- Administrative agents is a person who has administrative responsibility form the top down

- Grass roots agents are people who want to bring about change from the bottom up

Strategies used by change agents to bring about change from "The Change Agent’s Strategy"
by Alex Bennet

-" The change strategy model can be viewed in terms of orchestrating and implementing twelve specific elements. These elements are: creating a shared direction; building the business case; demonstrating leadership commitment; facilitating a common understanding; setting limits; sharing new ideas, words, and behaviors; identifying the strategic approach; developing the structure; measuring and incentivizing; providing tools; promoting learning; and envisioning an even greater future." Bennet is applying this model to ICAS( Intelligent Complex Adaptive Systems) I have made general comments on Bennets strategies below.

- Creating a shared vision - Come up with common goals

- Building the business case- "This business case lays out the current organizational effectiveness level, identifies needed changes and, most importantly, describes the anticipated changes and expected results of those changes in terms that make sense from a business perspective. " (Bennet)

- Demonstrating Leadership Commitment- " demonstrates commitment to a vision through words and actions" (Bennett)

- Facilitating a Common Understanding- by determining the reasons behind the movement towards a vision or goal

-Setting Limits- set limits so that you can focus on the concept of the vision and communicate about it

- Sharing new ideas, words, behaviors- if new thinking occurs new words occur resulting in new behaviours

-Identify the strategic approach- people need to think strategically at all level and for all levels of the organization

- Developing Structure - develop an organizational structure that will facilitate change

- Measuring and incentivize- measure how effective you are and what incentive you need to implement to bring about change

-Providing Tools- provide resources to help bring about change

-Promoting Learning- encourage learning and put in place systems that help facilitate learning

-Envisioning a greater future- envision how the change will impact the future

Chart from Marian High School of Organizational structure is a typical school structure found in most schools.

- In a typical school structure the Principal is responsible for all change in the school.

Job description for change agent

• Looking for a Student Union Consultant to advise on reorganizing the Student Union so that student concerns are considered and brought to school council and the administration's attention.

-Ways to asses change: Surveys, case studies, history(looking back in the past to see what changes have occurred), interviews, news, online forms, and scientific research(statistical research) .

Outcomes of Middle school

"Intended outcomes for transition to middle school in Spruce Grove

• June 2004 Board direction to administration:
• Design an implementation plan for 12 months leading to the opening of early & middle years schools§
• ensure parents, students, staff & other stakeholders play an integral role
• address concerns of stakeholders, expressed during community consultations in spring 2004
• address stakeholder concerns; exemplify PSD’s commitment to vibrant, healthy schools
• ensure stakeholders are informed

Community needs best served if process were to ensure:

• list of special needs services by school is defined
• Gr. 5 – 9 student given opportunity to become more responsible, in a safe and caring environment
• outline accessibility to complementary programs
• school events are collaboratively planned
• new attendance boundaries are clearly outlined
• parents choice is reviewed & communicated
• parents given opportunity to participate in process
• stakeholders are apprised of process
• presentations on the implementation framework (IF) with staff & business community
• standing agenda items at Board, Leadership & Centre for Education meetings
• updates through On-line, Intranet (Jan.1), press releases,The Advocate, Website
• advertisement - public meeting dates
• brochures for early & middle years"

Actual outcomes and process of change

• See previous post on change

Change Agents

• Parkland Administration and two principals of three proposed Middle Schools were primary change agents
  
• Community members that proposed changes were given minimal consideration

Key Elements to bring about change

• Shared vision
• Collaboration amongst stakeholders
• Well thought out and executed implementation plan

Role of Time

• There needs to be sufficient time for most people to participate in changes
• Changes need to be made on schedule and not delayed so as to cause frustration among stakeholders