Schools that Deliver

An international network founded by John Edwards and Bill Martin.

The fundamental belief underpinning this network is that the most powerful resources in any school are the professional knowledge and values of the people who work in that school, and the members of that school community. The Schools That Deliver process provides the teachers and community with absolute ownership for the creation of the school they have always wanted. It is based on an acceptance that the most important decisions made in a school are those made daily by teachers and students. When these decisions are aligned to a collaboratively designed shared vision, their impact is significantly magnified.

It is based on the processes developed and refined by Bill Martin as he led the staffs in a sequence of three schools through evolving iterations of a shared visioning process. These experiences were based on, and combined with, John’s thirty years of research in schools and other organizations, to create the Network processes. The Network began with two schools in 2003, grew to nine schools in 2004, twenty-one in 2005, thirty-three in 2006, and over one hundred by the end of 2010 and now close to two hundred schools. The Network currently covers six countries: Australia, New Zealand, the USA, UK, Sweden and Norway.

John brings a lifetime of research in thinking, learning, leadership, change and communication. Bill brings a lifetime of practical experience working in, and leading, schools at the primary, middle school and high school level. They are both nationally and internationally recognised for their work. The Schools That Deliver process has emerged from the combination of their rich experiences and is centred upon their shared passion for releasing and valuing human potential. Other members of our facilitator team bring similarly rich skills and experience.

The key characteristics of the Schools That Deliver process are:

• The school develops a shared vision through powerful processes designed to draw on the collective intellects, professional experience and values of all staff, and other members of the school community whose input is sought.
• Teachers are passionate about doing the necessary school-based deep understanding to turn their shared vision into their reality over time.
• A long-term school development plan, developed from action/innovation tasks the staff generate themselves, is owned by staff and leads them to perform at the highest professional levels.
• The process celebrates autonomy and interdependence at the same time.
• The process develops a culture of leadership throughout the school.
• Teachers take ownership for their own performance and for the continuous improvement of learning and wellbeing for both staff and students.
• Deep personal coaching for the principal is a central focus.

The process is highly economical in that it makes future financial and resource decisions very clear and provides a seamless school-wide professional development program for all staff.