Assignment
This document details the development of the STRIVE AV material (“AVP”) for DepEd. The AVP forms part of show-and-tell materials of STRIVE’s five-year journey in the Visayas, outlining the numerous and interrelated circumstances that shaped the program to what it has principally become—an agent of change for the DepEd.
It aims to communicate:
- How STRIVE adapted and evolved so that it can respond to emerging developments in DepEd reform initiatives;
- How STRIVE stakeholders across the organization have assisted in establishing the groundwork to facilitate change;
- How STRIVE is enhancing critical education structures and systems—an ongoing process of addressing systems fragmentation to improve overall education management; and,
- How STRIVE provides the platform for transformation as it enjoins prospective stakeholders to support mainstream structural and systems reforms.
The target audience includes education management stakeholders—educators, teachers, school heads, division teams, regional staff, and central personnel, as well as, prospective supporters from local government units and related communities.
Concept
Style and Format
The AVP will utilize a documentary style approach, utilizing a voiceover narrator to walk audiences through the story as it unfolds. First-person direct quotes from stakeholders across levels will help deliver the material’s key messaging points. Guide questions are crafted to enable interviewees to express their thoughts, experiences, and feelings about the subject. In addition, some dramatization or real-life footages will be used to illustrate before or after scenarios, for instance.
Language will be principally in English, but interviewees may be encouraged to respond in the vernacular—if this helps them to better express themselves and also to add a touch of authenticity to the material. The tone of the piece will be inspiring, positive, and personal, among others.
The AVP will use music, sound effects, interviewee responses, graphics, live footage/actions, photos, and text captions, to depict concepts or as means to transition between ideas.
Video length will be approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
Messaging
STRIVE provides flexible, sustainable, and responsive structures and support for systems strengthening and capacity building.
- STRIVE has adapted and evolved so that it can respond to emerging developments in DepEd reform initiatives. It used a flexible approach to development work, change management, and feedback collection to implement the objectives in the pilot test areas.
- STRIVE nurtured champions and agents of reform to work together as “vanguards of change.” It built on the strengths of what has been learned and made by people who came before it to create a well grounded laboratory for change.
- STRIVE is enhancing critical education structures and systems to retrofit an environment where integrated systems work together for efficient delivery and governance of basic education.
- STRIVE provides the platform for transformation as it enjoins prospective stakeholders to support the mainstream transition of structures and systems. It is now focused on creating wide support in DepED by bringing to the mainstream the gains from the systems and organization development work.
Pillars
Following is list of interconnected key words and phrases found within STRIVE reference materials which are used to lend context for our proposed theme and its rationale.
| Strengthening Facilitating Empowering Improving Enhancing Improving Assisting Building | Education Governance Capacity Accountability Transparency Critical Effective Performance Upgrading Structures, systems, support Access to quality basic education Interplay of good teachers, good learning resources Systems development work Milestones | People and Environments Personal experience Contribute Participation Cuts across levels Tasks, roles Vanguard Agent | Approach Dynamic Ongoing Continuous Flexible Sustainable Continuity Synchronized Integrated Progressive Adjust Precursor Integrator Individuality Unique Responsive | Change Catalyst Transform Adapt Evolve Emerging Reform Transition |
Proposed Theme
Concepts
Change, Interconnection, Alignment
Theme
A New Way of Thinking, Teaching, and Learning:
Connecting and Aligning Educators Through STRIVE
Rationale
The proposed theme utilizes two complementary phrases, functioning as header and subhead. The header serves to set the tone for the piece, suggesting to our audiences that we will be presenting a novel idea, a new approach for doing things. The subhead complements this by outlining, in a nutshell, what STRIVE does. Together, it serves as a positive and engaging statement to inspire our audiences to embrace the underlying ideas we are putting forth:
- Change in the way we approach education management is good. It has started with STRIVE and now we are sharing program experiences as we seek to draw wider support. Being part of DepEd—the beacon of knowledge—it poses a challenge to the audiences to continuously appreciate critical changes that accelerate, broaden, deepen, and sustain education efforts.
- Interconnection and alignment is key to any organization’s success. It depicts the dynamic relationships of components within DepEd—how one part affects people, processes, policies, and platforms, magnified tenfold as it is the largest public institution in the country. In addition, “aligning” has two connotations that are both played in the statement: one that means organizing or systematizing, and the other, being in agreement or cooperating with others for a common cause.
Related Visuals
Briefly, following are some visuals we can utilize to represent the concepts. (I defer to our video editor to provide additional ideas).
- Transitional graphic effects to represent change or transformation
- Different shapes such as rectangles, circles, arrows, line to represent disparate elements in DepEd that have been connected and aligned
Storyline
The story will be presented via several chapters, outlined below.
- Intro. Contextualizes the existence of STRIVE.
- Developments in Education including the reform agenda, BESRA
- Education governance
- STRIVE. Provides an overview of the program, specifically the transition between Stage 1 and 2.
- Purpose
- Principles or guide posts
- Stage 1 and scoping study result
- Stage 2 Tasks
- Stage 2 Approach. Ties in relationship between DepEd and STRIVE’s objectives.
- Objective and scope
- Components
- Basic Approach
- Experience. Details the intangible benefits of program.
- Across levels
- Participation and response
- Achievements and milestones
- Closing. Enjoins support for the program.
- This is who we are
Script – Revised
Note text in blue are desired interviewee responses and does not yet reflect actual responses.
With your approval, I’ve also underlined important key points, which I suggest we use as text visuals within the video itself.(Imagine these phrases/words appearing within the video to drive key ideas).
| Time | Audio | Video |
| Chapter 1: Context Music: Lead-in | Title Card: Breaking the Old School (perhaps we can utilize a chalkboard for look-and-feel of these chapter “title cards”) | |
| Voiceover: Five years ago, the Department of Education found itself facing a distressing reality. Statistics showed very little improvement in dropout rates and retention rates; and, in spite of the implementation of many successful projects in basic education, the quality of education remains a system-wide issue. The governance and the delivery of basic education —the essence of DepEd’s existence—was on a decline. | Text Visual/s: dropout rates retention rates basic education on a decline | |
| Speaker, Identified as Miriam Coprado of OPS: “Several studies contributed to DepEd’s reevaluation of its mandate. We ranked in the lowest 10% among participating countries in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study of 2003. Plus, a World Bank report on DepEd-administered tests showed only 40% of Grade 4 students have mastered 3rd grade competencies in English, Math, and Science; and only 30% of 1st year high school pupils have Grade 6 competencies in the same subjects.” | Text Visual/s: ranked in the lowest 10% only 40% of Grade 4 students only 30% of 1st year high school pupils | |
| Voiceover: It was in this context that the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda or BESRA was born. BESRA is a suite of policy reforms that sought to improve critical regulatory and institutional conditions affecting the quality of basic education. The expectation then was to create significant changes necessary to further accelerate, broaden, deepen, and sustain the improved education effort. | Text Visual/s: Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda or BESRA improved education effort | |
| Speaker, Identified as any field personnel e.g. Regional Director or Willie Bongalos: “DepEd as an organization, is now working in the 21st century—and our times call for openness and collaboration; we are now encouraged to utilize resources better, to maximize tools so that we can better think for ourselves. The days when decision-making was contained within a few people are numbered, if not gone. These were a few of the reasons that drove the implementation of BESRA, and consequently, the STRIVE program.” | Text Visual/s: openness collaboration tools for decision-making | |
| Chapter 2: STRIVE Music: Lead-in | Title Card: Re-Teaching a Lesson | |
| Voiceover: Within the same time period in 2005, “Strengthening Implementation of Basic Education in the Visayas” or STRIVE was jointly launched by the Department of Education and AusAID. STRIVE is a development cooperation program designed to support the Philippine education sector to improve access to quality basic education in selected provinces in the Visayas. Implemented in two phases, STRIVE shifted its approach in development work from a project perspective in Stage 1 to a program approach in Stage 2. The shift in Stage 2 meant that STRIVE had built-in flexibility to respond to emerging developments within BESRA and that its outputs were replicable. | Text Visual/s: Strengthening Implementation of Basic Education in the Visayas STRIVE From project to program approach Picture/s: STRIVE Stage 1 Stage 2 Launch STRIVE and BESRA TWG Meeting Logos DepEd and AusAID | |
| Voiceover: Guided by the principles of flexibility, continuity, systems strengthening, and sustainability, STRIVE took on the task of providing assistance for institutional strengthening and capacity building; and, performed this in the context of rationalizing existing infrastructures to provide systematic education support. | Text Visual/s: system strengthening capacity building | |
| Chapter 3: STRIVE 2 Approach Music: Lead-in | Title Card: Welcoming a Fresh School Year | |
| Voiceover: STRIVE focused on strengthening education systems on the critical areas of learning resource management and development; training and delivery of professional development; and, education governance support for school-based management—all entrenched with Quality Assurance and Access or Equity themes. It enhanced critical education structures and systems to retrofit an environment where integrated systems work together for efficient delivery and governance of basic education. | Text Visual/s: Learning Resource Management Training and Professional Development School-Based Management Quality Assurance and Access | |
| Speaker, Identified as Derie Deligerio (in his/her role as Division SBM Coordinator, and not as School Head): “As the Division Coordinator for School-Based Management, I saw an improvement in quality assurance within the institution in the last year. There are support systems, partnership mechanisms, personnel management programs and a platform to access knowledge and information. For instance, school data may now be accessed via the web us at the division or regional level via the Unified Information System.” | Text Visual/s: support systems partnership mechanisms personnel management programs platform to access information | |
| Speaker, Identified as T&D or NEAP or Marsette from Negros Occidental or Aleli from Tacloban: “The principles of flexibility, sustainability, continuity and systems strengthening is also true for the training and development or the learning resource management components of STRIVE. Before, we used to wait for training to land on our laps, if we are lucky! In our region now, educators are being made accountable for their own training. How? By conducting their own assessments, by getting access to training modules via a web-based system, by custom-fitting programs to suit their training needs. Or they can go directly at the source of any learning resource, because we’ve rationalized all the resources that have become available over time. To me, for us, that’s the meaning of real empowerment.” | Text Visual/s: flexibility sustainability continuity systems strengthening conducting own assessments getting access to modules or learning resources custom-fitting to suit needs |
Chapter 4: Experience
Music: Lead-in
Title Card: Participating in Class
Speaker, identified as Willie or Delie Deligerio: (Responses to the following questions)
- What made you participate in STRIVE?
- What was your contribution in developing the systems?
- Would you say STRIVE has been enjoyably difficult? Why?
Text Visual/s: (will identify based on responses)
Chapter 5: Closing
Music: Lead-in
Title Card: Creating a New Era
Voiceover: The five-year collaborative development undertaken by DepEd and AusAID in the implementation of STRIVE strengthened the platform for education transformation. As aptly described in the Independent Progress Review conducted in 2009 on STRIVE:
“It is rare to encounter an initiative which represents the right response, at the right time, using the right approach. STRIVE is such an initiative. It is not only consistent with GOP and GoA policies but, as was intended, it is the vanguard for change in the education sector in the Philippines.”
Text: “It is rare to encounter an initiative which represents the right response, at the right time, using the right approach. STRIVE is such an initiative. It is not only consistent with the Government of the Philippines’ and the Government of Australia’s policies but, as was intended, it is the vanguard for change in the education sector in the Philippines.” – Independent Progress Review, September 2009
Speaker, Identified as ASec Jess Mateo: (Responses to the following questions)
- What is your understanding of the role of STRIVE? Please expound.
- What is the primary role of an educator, like yourself?
- What immediate benefits would education stakeholders experience with STRIVE? Can you quantify the benefit received?
- What long-term benefits do you expect to experience from the solution/s?
Text Visual/s: (will identify based on responses)
End
Music: Extro
CBB Card: “Strengthening Implementation of Basic Education in the Visayas”
***
Finally Dee 