Education

Preface
The development of learning outcomes for the core curriculum in OECS primary andlower secondary schools is an essential part of the harmonization of OECS educational systems. The curriculum harmonization process commenced seven years ago with discussions between the OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) and educational personnel in all member countries (See Eastern Caribbean Education
Reform Project: Initiative on curriculum and remediation – Design Mission report, February 1998).

Preface

The development of learning outcomes for the core curriculum in OECS primary and lower secondary schools is an essential part of the harmonization of OECS educational systems. The curriculum
harmonization process commenced seven years ago with discussions between the OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) and educational personnel in all member countries (See Eastern Caribbean Education
Reform Project: Initiative on curriculum and remediation – Design Mission report, February 1998).

Preface

The development of learning outcomes for the core curriculum in OECS primary and lower secondary schools is an essential part of the harmonization of OECS educational systems. The curriculum
harmonization process commenced seven years ago with discussions between the OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) and educational personnel in all member countries (See Eastern Caribbean Education
Reform Project: Initiative on curriculum and remediation – Design Mission report, February 1998).

Preface

The development of learning outcomes for the core curriculum in OECS primary and lower secondary schools is an essential part of the harmonization of OECS educational systems. The curriculum harmonization process commenced seven years ago with discussions between the OECS
Education Reform Unit (OERU) and educational personnel in all member countries (See Eastern Caribbean Education Reform Project: Initiative on curriculum and remediation – Design Mission report, February 1998).

Preface

The development of learning outcomes for the core curriculum in OECS primary and lower secondary schools is an essential part of the harmonization of OECS educational systems. The curriculum harmonization process commenced seven years ago with discussions between the OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) and educational personnel in all member countries (See Eastern Caribbean Education
Reform Project: Initiative on curriculum and remediation – Design Mission report, February 1998).

Preface

The development of learning outcomes for the core curriculum in OECS primary and lower secondary schools is an essential part of the harmonization of OECS educational systems. The curriculum
harmonization process commenced seven years ago with discussions between the OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) and educational personnel in all member countries (See Eastern Caribbean Education
Reform Project: Initiative on curriculum and remediation – Design Mission report, February 1998).

HOW THE GUIDE IS ORGANIZED

The teachers’ guide is a stimulus to encourage teachers to make the learning of Social Studies meaningful, challenging, active, integrative and value -based. The guide is organized in such a way to provide teachers with relevant and useful suggestions on various aspects of Social Studies teaching and learning. The section on the purpose of the guide is to provide a general overview of the emphases and focus of the guide. The purpose is followed by the Social Studies learning outcomes. The goals of Social Studies are presented following the purpose. Teachers are encouraged to keep these goals in mind as they plan for instruction. The section on Values Education, which follows, reinforces the importance of incorporating personal and societial values in Social Studies lessons.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This discussion paper has been commissioned by the Economic Development Institute
of the World Bank for a workshop held in Trinidad & Tobago, April 21-23, 1999. The
workshop was intended to exchange ideas, learned lessons and achievements among
the leaders of educational reform in the participating countries of the Caribbean centres
around four themes: Teacher development, School-based Management, Educational
Assessment, and Curriculum Reform. The last of these is the subject of this paper.

Student Attitude Survey in the OECS

The attitude that secondary school students bring to the learning environment influences the meaningfulness of the learning that occurs. In recent times there has been some concern expressed about the poor attitude that students tend to display toward academic achievement. Educators and parents have been concerned also with the apparent deterioration of discipline evident in some schools throughout the OECS countries.

Educational decentralization is a worldwide phenomenon, but as a concept it hides more than it reveals. It often refers to the devolution of some authority to the local school and community level, but two large problems remain.  First, in all cases, key aspects of authority are retained at the regional and central
level. In this sense, decentralization is a misnomer. Second, when decentralization does occur, it usually refers to structural elements (such as sitebased councils), thereby missing the day-to-day capacities and activities that would make it work for school improvement.

PURPOSE OF THE PAPER

The purpose of this paper is to provide background information on experiences and
accomplishments in teacher development in the Caribbean, and to identify challenges that
the countries of the region face and goals that they have adopted in the 1990s. Particular
attention will be paid to recent developments and innovations in teacher education and
training, continuing professional development of teachers, teacher supervision and
teacher evaluation.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The is considerable agreement among educators that national assessment andtesting is capable of meeting both summative and formative goals. The summative ones include certification, selection and placement; and the formative ones include improving teaching and learning, curriculum auditing, monitoring of national achievement, and improving curriculum development. Illustrations from Caribbean countries as well as from countries outside the region are employed to show that the summative purposes are generally realized but evaluators and policy makers have not done a particularly good job
in providing teachers and schools with the kinds of information from these national testing programs that are needed to realize the formative purposes.

Objectives of the Workshop
Empower principals and senior teachers to interpret Ministry’s policy re: implementation of national developmental goals. Discuss dimensions of leadership/management, including the roles of education officers and curriculum supervisors that lead to successful school processes
Identify the role of instructional supervision, teacher appraisal and a code of ethics
for teachers in enhancing student achievement.

 Objectives of the Workshop

1. Empower principals and senior teachers to interpret Ministry’s policy re
implementation of national developmental goals
2. Discuss dimensions of leadership/management, including the roles of education
officers and curriculum supervisors that lead to successful school processes
3. Identify the role of instructional supervision, teacher appraisal in enhancing
student achievement
4. Examine the role of the school (principals and teachers) in setting shared goals

Objectives of the Workshop

1. Empower principals and senior teachers to interpret Ministry’s policy re
implementation of national developmental goals
2. Discuss dimensions of leadership/management, including the roles of education
officers and curriculum supervisors that lead to successful school processes
3. Identify the role of instructional supervision, teacher appraisal in enhancing
student achievement
4. Examine the role of the school (principals and teachers) in setting shared goals

Introduction
This report focuses on the outputs of the first two days of the workshop facilitated mainly by Dr. Henry Hinds, Head, OERU. Credit is due to Mrs. Jennifer Hodge, Principal Education Officer, Nevis, for conceptualizing the workshop and identifying its potential contribution to the quality of educational leadership at the pre -school level, primary and secondary school levels. Gratitude is expressed to Mr. Joseph Wiltshire, Education Officer, who was responsible for coordinating the workshop activities.

Preface

This document consists of a number of case studies designed to improve the quality of leadership in OECS schools. The OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU) has provided resources in the area of school leadership and management over the past five years. An early study on attitudes of secondary school students to schooling (1999) indicated that teachers were critical as supporters and encouragers of students. Teachers contribute to the level of effort students put into their work, to the good behaviour of students and to their high self-esteem and their desire to remain in school.

UNICEF developed and introduced the Child Friendly/Effective Schools (CFS/ES) Framework for education systems and schools that ‘serve the whole child’ in 1999. This initiative is UNICEF’s flagship education programme and it supports its implementation in over 95 countries worldwide.

Child Friendly/Effective Schools as defined by UNICEF,“…is a framework which seeks to help schools and educational systems progressively move towards the implementation of quality standards. These standards are aimed at addressing all the elements that influence the well-being and rights of children as learners. The basic goal of CFS is to create positive, safe, healthy learning environments where all children reach their full potential.”

There is no strict formula for the makeup of CFS/ES. Different countries and cultures implement different models of CFS/ES most suitable to their needs and which are sometimes based on available resources. However, in the eastern Caribbean there are some key characteristics that should make child friendly schools readily recognizable to anyone entering these schools:

1. Positive behavioural management practices
2. Student participation
3. Healthy lifestyles
4. Inclusiveness
5. Life skills-based health and family life education and
6. Parental involvement