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Scaling educational innovations in Singapore: The roles of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers
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NIE Working Paper Series No. 9
Citation
Lee, S. S. (2017). Scaling educational innovations in Singapore: The roles of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers (NIE Working Paper Series No. 9). Singapore: National Institute of Education. https://hdl.handle.net/10497/19451
Abstract
In many countries and regions, education authorities have shown
interests in promoting new education initiatives or innovations. With
the hefty investments, they are keen to see that their initiatives are well
received by the various stakeholders, namely, national leaders, district-level
leaders, school leaders, teachers, students and their parents, and
can be successfully scaled and improve learning. However, are the
perspectives and expectations of policymakers and practitioners with
regard to education innovations and their scaling necessarily the same
as those of the researchers? Some of these stakeholders may expect
a linear model of scaling, i.e. innovations can be translated into ready
intervention packages which can be replicated mechanically by all the
practitioners and consequently uplifting learning outcomes within the
nation. Others may expect extensive adaptation to be allowed for any
education innovations accepted for scaling. This chapter describes an
eco-logical model for scaling that allows for a productive tension due to
the differences in stakeholder perspectives. Based on scaling practices
and considerations that operate in Singapore, the lessons about how
scaling can be advanced at the systems level, which may be relevant
for school districts, regions or countries similar in size to Singapore, are
drawn. The paper also attempts to distil underlying scaling principles
that can provide some directions to help analyse or shape scaling
strategies across a hierarchy of much larger scale levels.
Date Issued
2017
ISBN
9789811138324
Publisher
National Institute of Education (Singapore)
Series
NIE Working Paper Series; 9