In 1992, Xinmin Secondary School ranked 134 among 141 secondary schools in Singapore, based on the nationwide General Certificate of Education (GCE) O-level examinations. The school also had a high rate of truancy and a high turnover of students and staff (the enrollment was 900, with 42 teachers).
This year, Xinmin moved up to 42 in the ranking, the academic performance of its students having exceeded all expectations. With 1,700 students and 70 teachers, enrollment in the school is now much sought after by parents and students alike.
What accounts for this change? To find out, we visited the school last March and spoke to students, staff, and the principal. We also read reports on the school and listened to what other educators had to say about it. We concluded that the credit for Xinmin's achievement should go to its principal. As many writers have maintained (for example, Hallinger 1992, and Lane 1992), a school is only as effective as its leadership.
From a holistic point of view, all of Tong Pak Goh's initiatives have been geared to reaching his ultimate objective: creation of a supportive learning environment. He has brought about subtle, incremental transformations, with no attempt to solve all the problems at once.
First on Goh's agenda was discipline, which he sees not as stifling control but as care: Parents want to send their children to a school where their children's well-being is taken care of. As such, discipline must be well maintained, and there needs to be an atmosphere of care and concern among the students and staff.Goh personally exemplifies this caring attitude. He is among the first to arrive at the school and the last to leave. He walks the students to the bus stops and waits until all have caught their buses home before returning to close the school. He treats the students with dignity and respect, so it is no wonder the students treat him, as well as the teachers, the same way.
Have It Your Way
Goh soon realized that Xinmin's students "had poor foundation" and did not have good study habits. Through conversations with the students, he found that many had no interest in studies because they did not see the school as a place conducive to learning. The world outside the school gates was more attractive. So Goh set about "winning my pupils back from McDonald's," where he found many of them during school hours. Essentially, he brought McDonald's to his students.
Students had told Goh that they loved the furniture and the cool comfort at McDonald's. So, with S$80,000 (equivalent to $60,000 in the U.S.) donated by parents, alumni, and well-wishers, he picked out comfortable, colorful tables and chairs like those the students said they liked and used them to create study areas around the building. He accented the furniture with flowering plants and beach umbrellas. He also simulated the atmosphere of a fast-food joint by creating a canteen, furnishing it with the same tables and chairs and with vending machines that dispense snacks and soft drinks.
Goh made it clear that no student should be denied a place to study. Students who preferred a quiet, air-conditioned place could use the school library, while those who wanted the freedom to eat, drink soft drinks, talk, and study at the same time could do so in the canteen. By catering to the needs of the students—even providing them with furniture that appealed to them—the school made its students feel important and cared about—a feeling that fosters learning.
Goh's commitment to nurturing study habits has become part of the school's culture, and studying is not confined to school hours. Students often stay behind in the evening to study in the canteen, particularly during the examination period. Also, each day before school starts, a cluster of students spend half an hour seated in the hallway, silently reading English language materials. Only one teacher supervises them. As English is not the mother tongue of Singaporeans, the school has made a concerted effort to ensure that all students are proficient in English.
Card-Carrying Problem Kids
Another effort to counter behavioral problems with positive attention is the system of student red cards. Teachers issue these cards to a variety of students—those who often forget to do their assignments, who fail their tests, or who break school rules. They also go to latchkey children, who otherwise would go home to an empty house.
Red card holders stay after school. The teachers in charge hold group discussions and supervise self-study sessions. They also use this time to counsel and coach students and to generally establish rapport with them.
Some students may need to do this for two weeks, others for only a week. If they have not committed a severe offense, students may be allowed to participate in games with the teacher and other students after the study sessions. Parents of carded students must sign the card every day. In this way, they are not only informed of their child's offense, but are also encouraged to become partners with the school in its effort to improve discipline and academic performance.
The red card program communicates the school's emphasis on high standards of achievement, which leads to higher academic aspirations and performance, as many researchers (for example, McDill and Rigsby 1973) have shown.
Students do not see this detention as punishment. In a way, red cards cater to the adolescent's need for belonging, in part by creating opportunities for them to interact.
Again, an inviting message is sent (Purkey 1984), and the teachers and principal are "doing with" rather than "doing to" the students. As Purkey (1984) says, when students feel invited to attend special sessions, they are likely to respond positively. For example, vandalism, which was rife when Goh first came to the school, is now unheard of. And as Goh himself says, Discipline itself is not so simple. If you diagnose properly and give a fairly good prescription, there is treatment. Wrong punishment is like prescribing the wrong medicine.
Good Teaching—Good Students
To Goh, discipline and the teaching/learning process are also related: If lessons are interesting and students are involved, discipline will improve (Purkey 1984). When a teacher teaches well and is concerned about students, the teacher's authority increases. When that happens, students respect and trust that teacher. In addition, in order to learn, students must feel safe in the classroom. That is, they need to understand the tasks they are assigned. And they also need to feel accepted by teachers. Some teachers may have to be reminded of this need for emotional safety.Knowing that some teachers may not have been aware of their poor teaching skills (many still used the chalk-and-talk method), Goh started developmental supervision. He observed teachers' lessons and followed this up with counseling or coaching. "I am a helper, not an evaluator," he explains, "I help them whenever I can."
Right from the start, Goh clarified his goal of a supportive learning environment and actively supported the like-minded staff. It did not take Goh long to realize the futility of attempting to gather accurate and useful information through formal staff meetings and other official means.
Instead, he leads informal groups. He shares his own experiences, which encourages others in the group to share pertinent information and to correct misinformation.
Following the Leader
Incremental improvements have helped Goh win the trust and respect of both his staff and pupils. Goh is quick to credit his staff and pupils for the improved school discipline and academic performance. He acknowledges and celebrates success, however —al. Along the way, he experiences the essence of leadership—followership.
Revitalizing the educators in his charge was no easy task. Goh's knowledge of the staff and his passion for education rekindled the fire in them, which in turn kindled the pupils' desire to learn. Like their teachers, the pupils see that by doing well for their school, their own interests are served.
"During my first year, I had a lot of difficulties and had to personally mark attendance ... check with parents....," Goh muses. A one-meter Chinese scroll is placed prominently in his office. It bears one character—the character Patience. "I reflect on it everyday," he says.
