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Study 3. Change in Probolinggo District
A lot of innovations have been developed and disseminated throughout Probolinggo district in East Jawa in the areas of teaching and learning, school based management and community participation, by the progressive district education office. As a result, the district is regularly visited by educators and school representatives from other districts as well as a number of donors. This study aimed to document the changes that have taken place, and to find out who was largely responsible for them.
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Innovations in teaching and learning quickly grew up and spread. These included creating attractive classrooms with displays of children's work, encouraging cooperative work between students, children writing in their own words and teachers being more actively involved with their students.
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The initial changes started in a limited number of primary school clusters involved in donor-supported education projects, namely the CLCC joint program and the Science Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP). Innovations in teaching and learning, school based management and community participation were quickly taken up and spread to other schools by a generally supportive district education office.
The deputy head of the office, Bpk Supanut, a former teacher, quickly became a major agent of change in the district. His strong convictions enabled him to gather together a group of like-minded persons. These are both within the district Dinas office, including the present and previous heads of the office and a growing number of colleagues, as well as a strongly committed group of school principals and teachers.
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Bpk Supanut, a major agent of change in Probolinggo
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Prominent within this group is Bpk Suyitno, MEd, the head of SD Ngepung, and Ibu Wiwik, an early grades teachers from SD Maronweton, who returned from a CLCC workshop in 2001 to implement many changes in her classroom.
Bpk Supanut has continued to identify and implement innovative solutions to education problems in the district, including "SMP Sore" or afternoon JSE-level schooling conducted on the premises of 6 primary schools to cater for school leavers from the 2-3 surrounding primary schools unable to attend regular JSE.
One of his main strategies is demonstrate the success of an innovation so that there is evidence to convince others of its benefits. His informal leadership style has been highlighted as one of the more successful tactics for stimulating ideas from staff and colleagues and for disseminating innovations.
One of the most ambitious innovations in the district was the decision to allow schools to develop the end of school (UAS) examination questions for themselves. Only a few schools have so far been brave enough to accept this challenge. The changes seen in some of the schools in the district go beyond the simple replication of ideas and suggestions seen elsewhere
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Ibu Wiwik, seen here addressing a parents meeting, introduced many changes in classroom practice and brought parents into the classroom to help the students
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A growing number of school principals and teachers are now able to develop their own innovations. The most notable of these being a willingness to invite parents into the classroom and let them help with academic matters, such as hearing children read.
A small number of schools were identified as being able to sustain the changes they had made while some 30% were considered to be progressing in the desired direction. Finally, a number of "lessons to be shared" with others undergoing the change process were produced, drawing on the inputs of the respondents and based on visits to schools.
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