Implementing the Blueprint for Victorian Government Schools 2006-25.1

On the morning of 27 November 2003, Darrell Fraser walked into his office at Glen Waverley Secondary College to check his email. His inbox was full of congratulatory messages. It had just been announced that he had been appointed to the position of head of School Education in the Department of Education and Training. Whilst colleagues in Fraser’s school were very supportive of his appointment, it came as a surprise to many people. Without experience in the bureaucracy, observers questioned whether he would be able to lead the ambitious changes outlined in the Blueprint for Government Schools, a key component of which was the Workforce Development Strategy for Teachers. Darrell Fraser was excited by the challenges of his new role, but it was also a daunting prospect.

This case describes the education system in Victoria and plans for reform to workforce development. It can be used to discuss governance of a devolved sector and how to divide responsibilities for education and workforce management between schools and the department. It could also be used to look at questions of accountability, leadership, human resources management, and government reform more broadly.