Central Services, Edmonton Public Schools, Canada
In 1994, the central office of the Edmonton public school district in Alberta, Canada was renamed Central Services and redesigned to act as a service provider to the system instead of performing a traditional bureaucratic role. At the same time, schools were given much wider powers over their budgets, including the ability to select from various services and providers.
With over 92% of budgetary control now given to school administrations, Central Services acts as a data-driven service provider to educational leaders, teachers and staff, and students. Schools can choose to buy services such as teacher professional development and student assessment tools from either this office or from outside vendors, which means Central Services must constantly stay on its toes to remain competitive in cost, quality and focus on teaching and learning. Edmonton schools consistently rank among the top of the world in student achievement in the areas of reading, mathematics, and science.
How does it work?
- Over half of Central Services employees have jobs as service providers and depend on the schools buying their services. For schools’ educational leaders, Central Services offers coaching in areas such as collaborative processes, parent education, and professional learning communities. For schools’ teachers and staff, Central Services offers professional development training in instruction, student learning, and technology while also focusing on specific instructional strategies for all parts of school curricula.
- Central Services also offers services for student assessment, English Language Learners (at no cost to schools), and students with special needs (at heavily subsidized costs to schools).
What are the results?
- Reorienting of Edmonton’s central office around support and capacity enhancement has led to increased student performance. Edmonton schools consistently place among the top internationally in terms of student achievement scores in reading, mathematics, and science. Edmonton’s performance on 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) helped place Alberta above all OECD countries in reading and mathematics and at third in science. Following the restructuring, Edmonton increased the percentage of students at or above proficiency by an average of 5 percent in English for grades 3, 6, and 9 and an average of 8 percent in Math for the same grades.
- Edmonton’s innovative approach has received widespread praise from both teachers and principals. Said the president of the teachers’ union: “I think we would have a huge problem if [Central Services] tried to make decisions differently…it is such a part of our culture and the way we think and act.” Every year the principals are asked to rate each central department, and each department has received an approval rating between 87 percent and 100 percent in recent, reflecting an extremely high regard.
How does Vision 2015 address support services and school-based management?
Vision 2015 recommends:
- Allow school leaders to choose among approved providers of educational services
- Provide the technology that principals and their teams need to improve instruction
- Increase focus on student achievement
- Align content specific teaching tools and classroom-based professional coaching so teachers get the support they need to deliver high-quality instruction to each student
- Closely align coaching with the state’s curriculum and individual teachers’ needs
Where can I learn more?
Edmonton Public Schools: http://www.epsb.ca
Consulting Services, Edmonton Public Schools: http://consultingservices.epsb.net/index.cfm
“Getting district-wide results,” by Angus McBeath, former superintendent, Edmonton Public Schools
