Summaries of Key Steps in Changing Systems that should be considered when creating or sustaining inclusive, equitable and effective school systems

This page introduces a list of strategic, practical  and formal steps items that should be considered when school and other systems are being rebuilt, renewed or transformed. There are several steps that can lead to significant and sustainable change. We have created these detailed lists because we think it is easier to work on small, specific changes rather than being faced with broad, general statements about transforming systems.
Each of the underlined steps in the text below and listed in the right hand column will be described in a brief summary that explains its importance  as well as providing evidence and examples. If you would like to be involved, in this process, please  contact [email protected].

Key Steps in Systems Change

Our suggested steps for improving and transforming systems are drawn from several sources, including the UN Guidance Note for translating the national commitments into action made at the UN Transforming Education Summit (TES) as well as basic reform activities identified in the joint educators’ statement on rebuilding, renewing and transforming school and other systems.

Ministries in countries should consider these steps:

a) Agree on and adopt explicit strategic principles and first priorities such as the use of whole of government and whole of society approaches, focus on inequalities, engaging local communities and educators at all levels, empowering youth to participate and using evidence to inform policy and practice.

b) Create wider and deeper ownership of the commitment to transformation by

1. Securing the involvement and  contributions of other ministries and agencies and reaching out to local actors
2. Identifying and planning for key moments and forums at national, within and beyond the education landscape, where the transformation agenda could be at the centre of the policy and financing discussion
3. Strengthening whole-of-government and inter-ministerial discussions on the role of education in economic and social transformation and the school as a hub for multi-sector program delivery
4. Mapping the wider stakeholder network and
5. Conducting a post-TES or preliminary consultation with stakeholders prior to launching a formal reform initiative. This should include ministries/agencies (e.g. ministries of finance, health, social protection, economic development, planning, labour and environment), sub-national entities, youth and civil society organizations
6. Creating a website or a platform where all information on the transformation process is published

c) Move from commitment to policy and planning to integrate the transformation agenda into existing national policies and plans through:

1. a review the national socio-economic development plan to discuss how to integrate education transformation can support that plan through inter-ministerial collaboration
2. using inter-ministerial meetings to create commitment to the transformation agenda in education (and other ministries.

c) Move from policy and plan to action by

1. holding regular meetings to share progress reports with administration and school staff or their representatives
2. identifying and planning how to alleviate major bottle necks (critical transition points) with stakeholders
3. guiding and strengthening supervisors and local administrators ability to manage change, create consensus
4. supporting principals, teachers and educators as “action researchers” whose insights can contribute to designing innovative transformation strategies
5. exploring the potential of successful local initiatives to become system-wide reform strategies

e) Account for commitments, action, and results by:

1. developing an intersectoral (inter-ministry, inter-agency, inter-professional) monitoring matrix which identifies responsibility for follow-up action and resources/competencies/assets needed
2. using existing mechanisms at national and sub-national levels (for instance, joint sector reviews; mid-term and final evaluations of plans; annual humanitarian assessments and household surveys; the SDG4 monitoring process) for monitoring the commitments
3. promoting the use of qualitative studies by country-level researchers
4. using existing global mechanisms, such as the Voluntary National Reports (VNR) to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), periodic review of normative instruments, and the Global Education Meeting (GEM) convened by UNESCO, as milestones/modalities to share their progress

f) Establishing and/or acting upon the recommendations of an education reform commission into school and other systems that work within or with schools

g) Establishing and mandating a formal stakeholder advisory committee to monitor the inquiry and contribute to its report

h) Commissioning reviews of data, reports, studies and surveys on child/youth safety, health & development as well as student retention and academic achievement, access & participation in early childhood, schooling and post-secondary education/training and youth employment - to feed into the inquiry and report

i) Conducting specific consultations with representatives and surveys of all relevant personnel including teachers, education support professionals, principals, senior and mid-level managers, facilities, transportation, technology and student services managers, counsellors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, relief air and development workers, education deans and others.
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Steps in Systems Change

See our other summaries: on

• Influences & Influencers
• Actors/Employees
• Mediators of Change
• System Elements 
• Steps in Systems Change

that are part of our Coherence Model  for Systems Change