Magazine - ESHA

will have to be changed. Interventions to achieve that status are
based on the connection of three pillars learning, research and
empowerment. This connection guarantees sustainable perfor-
mance improvement. Development of knowledge, responsiveness
and responsibility will contribute to high achievements.
• Learning
Successful changes in education share as theoretical start point
“social constructivism”. This social constructivism is a learning
theory that people involved give meaning to their environment in a
sociological context. Knowledge will be constructed by each per-
son in interaction with their social surrounding. In daily practice in
social constructivism learning can be seen as a social process. The
central assumption of the theory of constructivism is that learning
is not the effect of transmission of knowledge from one person to
another but more the result (construct) of mental capacities of the
students self: we learn by connecting new information with knowl-
edge we already have (previous knowledge). Constructivists state
that educational professionals select by themselves the relevant
information and determine how and in which order they will be
implemented.
• Research
The second starting point to achieve excellence is the gathering
and application of research data to found permanent educational
improvement. These evidence based changes bridge the gap
between present and the road to High Performance Schools. The
school has to use a system that secures permanent monitoring
and refl ection on student achievements. This is of evident impor-
tance for quality improvement. The results of monitoring show the
effects of interventions immediately as the result of the “return on
investment”.
HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS
ESHA MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2011 49