High-Expectation Relationships for Educational Excellence.

Ms Sally Munro | Director of Pastoral Care

At the end of Term One, I was fortunate to attend a four-day professional development experience facilitated by the Stronger Smarter Institute. Grounded by a commitment to push against low expectations in Indigenous education, their purpose is to transform education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to ensure that every child achieves educational excellence and is strong in culture and identity. Their philosophy supports processes that are anchored by high-expectation relationships and high-performance school cultures. The ‘Strong and Smart’ approach, developed by Dr Chris Sarra, values strength-based approaches and recognises three spheres of influence for strong educational outcomes; personal, school and the community. It was an extraordinary four days and provided deep insight into a philosophy that strives to create transformational change in Indigenous educational outcomes.

Throughout my participation, I couldn’t help but recognise the transferability of this philosophy to achieving educational excellence for all students at Loreto Normanhurst. In particular, by applying the concept of high-expectation relationships which is central to the Stronger Smarter Philosophy and approach. The Loreto Normanhurst Student Growth Model emphasises that the true purpose of education is achieved through quality learning and quality relationships, and I would propose that a characteristic of ‘quality relationships’ is high expectations as defined by the Stronger Smarter Institute.

“A High-Expectations Relationships is an authentic two-way relationship that is both supportive and challenging. High-Expectations Relationships begin by honouring the humanity of others.”

Research shows that students are more likely to meet the expectations that are set for them than to not meet them and students tend to increase or decrease their efforts to match the expectations they perceive the teacher and the School has of them. This is regardless of whether these expectations are good, bad, correct, or misguided. Setting high expectations will therefore create a culture where students strive to meet them and establishes an environment that enables the growth we are seeking for our students. It would be understandable that one may assume a reference to high expectations is about academic pursuits such as what grade a student will receive and the quality of their essay however for me, greater consideration and reflection are given to the standards we expect from our students in the way they interact with each other and their teachers and engage with the world around them. These expectations are framed by the way students communicate both face-to-face and online, the way they respond to the needs of others, and the level of respect they display to each other, their surroundings and in the wider community. And it also includes what might be deemed as mundane expectations such as uniform and punctuality.

We seek to set a culture of high expectations because of our commitment to students achieving their full potential and supporting them to understand how to live out the Loreto values. If students are more likely to meet us where we set the bar, why would we set it low? Our students are capable young people who know what is right and just and we believe in their capacity to meet the expectations we ask of them. This is not to suggest it is always easy.

Honouring high-expectation relationships using the Institute's ‘Firm but fair’ approach provides opportunities for essential learning. They support students to understand boundaries, recognise what is acceptable, and uphold and live out our values. Stronger Smarter state that “A relationship is anchored by high expectations when we have the compassion to be fair, by engaging in acknowledging and enabling processes when we can, as well as having the courage to be firm, by challenging and intervening when we need to. Being ‘fair’ in the relationship is essential to establish trust and safety and being ‘firm’ is characterised by courage, resilience, and rigour in order to challenge mindsets.”

The importance of relationships is known at Loreto Normanhurst and we recognise the influence of student-teacher relationships. High levels of trust and safety and the courage to challenge both oneself and others are important in relationships that have high expectations. High-expectation relationships promote respect and engage in dialogue that help to understand individual circumstances and explore what needs to change. This is more achievable when done within the sphere of influences and thus is done in partnerships with our parents. Furthermore, high-expectation relationships do not avoid conversations that are challenging as value is given to honest, fair, and transparent feedback as a means for learning and growth. They are strength-based conversations and involve a process of deep listening which provides a platform for these conversations to allow a way to move forward so that all people in the relationship can be the best version of themselves.

The quality of human connection relies heavily on the emotional bank account between people and is a cornerstone for high-expectation relationships. These bank accounts are ‘topped up’ when time and engagement are present. They occur when individuals tune in to the needs, feelings, and experiences of others with a sincere and genuine interest and are invested in co-creating solutions when these relationships are challenged. Connection is key to who we are as a community and will serve us well in an environment where high-expectation relationships are valued and expected.

Stronger Smarter Institute Position Paper; High Expectations Relationships (2018)