Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'School management and organization New schools New schools'

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1993.
Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Jonathan Hughes. Dissertation Committee: Frank Smith. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-197).

The purpose of this study is to investigate if cultural backgrounds affect how staff from Scandinavian international schools view school development. The study is based on the alternative hypothesis that cultural backgrounds affect school development. A survey was sent to seven Scandinavian international schools with questions designed to detect the views respondents have on school development based on the two most prominent school development perspectives; school improvement and school effectiveness. I investigated and analyzed respondents’ views about their own development work at their school today and what they would like it to look like. In addition, I examined what processes and standards they considered important when engaged in school development work. Also, I wanted to see if there were any differences in views depending on where the respondents had had their higher education, were born, or if years spent in Scandinavia had influenced their views. The results indicated that it is not statistically likely that respondents’ cultural backgrounds affect their views on school development. There could be many reasons for this outcome but since these have not been studied, I can only speculate. One reason could be that the majority of the respondents have spent more than ten years in Scandinavia which might have homogenized the respondents’ views on school development.  Another reason could be that the majority of the respondents come or have had their higher education in either an English speaking country or in Scandinavia.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1994.
Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Jonathan T. Hughes. Dissertation Committee: Frank L. Smith, Jr. Includes tables. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-116).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996.
Issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Frank Smith. Dissertation committee: Jon Hughes. Dissertation Committee: John Hughes. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 221-231).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996.
Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Dale Mann. Dissertation Committee: Jon Hughes. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 252-255).

It was recommended that future researchers should continue to study the benefit of benchmarking metrics of organizational performance to ensure mayors are held accountable for the reforms they espouse during election cycles. Ultimately, mayors' success in managing their school systems will be based on where they prioritize. This research offered a cross section of metrics by which mayors can benchmark their effectiveness as they change operational, financial, and organizational structures to bring about better, overall organizational performance from their school system.; The focus of this research was to examine the effects of mayoral control on operational and financial structures within school systems. Furthermore, this study focused on the public perception and political implications of the mayor's position on local education. The four systems chosen for this study were: Boston, Chicago, District of Columbia, and New York City. All four systems were total control districts, which allowed for each mayor to appoint a majority to the school board and appoint a superintendent or chancellor to oversee the day to day operations of the school district. This study focused on operational and financial structures, which make up a sizable portion of the larger organizational structure. These indicators often drive how services and expenditures eventually affect the core business of these school systems. From an operational perspective, this study was focused on expenditures, both in aggregate form and for instructional related services, pre and post takeover. From a financial perspective, this study focused on changes to revenue sources, return on investment, interest on school debt, and capital outlay. From a political perspective, this study examined the data from the various State of the City addresses over the last four years in each of the four cities, along with polling data available for New York City and the District of Columbia. This study was concluded with a summary of findings, and implications for future research, policy, and practitioners. The research showed that New York City and Boston generally outperformed the District of Columbia and Chicago in the operational and financial metrics used in the study. Furthermore, the number of years a city had been under mayoral control and operational and financial indicators had no significant relationship.
ID: 029050105; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-94).
Ed.D.
Doctorate
School of Teaching, Learning, and Leadership
Education

Scottish institutions within the educational networks, including Government, local authorities, and schools, are entangled in performative activities dedicated to improvements in student attainment. Secondary school performance in Scotland is measured nationally predominantly by the number and level of national qualifications achieved. The thesis makes the case that this attainment agenda places enormous pressures on Headteachers to ensure student outcomes are maximised and that the culture of performativity is a major factor in shaping the roles and practices of Headteachers. The study is based on four new secondary school Headteachers in a single Scottish local authority. It is through an examination of their work practices that the formation of subjectivities within a range of power relations and discursive regimes are explored. Performativity and accountability influence the role and actions of the Headteacher in many ways which are unanticipated. There is an ongoing power struggle engendered by the pressures and controls imposed on new Headteachers which modify and discipline their behaviours. In this thesis, a case study methodology is employed and the concepts of Michel Foucault are applied to provide an alternative means of understanding the practices of Headteachers. A Foucauldian approach also provides a different perspective on the problematic conceptualisation of school leadership. The aim of this study is to make a research-based contribution to our understanding of the complexities and competing priorities negotiated by new Headteachers. The research evidences the dominance of the attainment agenda on the lived lives of the new Headteachers. This study should enable the development of additional ways to assist with Headteacher preparation and the provision of improved support in the early years of Headship.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and, (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2003.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-137).
The purpose of this research is to provide an academic, external perspective to facilitate the implementation and development of a new internal organization for Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) with a focus on strategy and the organization. The new organization, named the Advanced Manufacturing Development Center (AMDC), is chartered to work concurrently with the design community to develop state-of-the-art manufacturing technology to compliment the next generation engineering designs. This thesis documents the efforts of a company implementing change detailing the specific challenges they faced. The principle lessons learned during the course of this project are (1) that effectively introducing change is very difficult and depends largely on thorough planning and understanding the culture and (2) that manufacturing innovation and development is a critical step to improving the manufacturing capabilities and providing a competitive advantage to a company. The defense industry is undergoing a lean transformation that focuses on "Better, Faster, Cheaper" defense systems demanding better products within a faster development timeframe at cheaper development and production costs. Defense companies have an external push to improve their manufacturing capabilities. In the context of the defense industry, adapting to change is a slow process given the industry's clockspeed and historical development. Making the challenge of effective implementation even more difficult is the lack of urgency at RMS's due to their success in the marketplace. Benchmarking and organizational studies specific to the industry and the company were conducted to identify best practices to provide a basis for the development of the AMDC. This project uses academic research to identify existing theories on manufacturing innovation and organizational change to overcome the socialization and cultural issues that ensued from implementing change and to improve the potential sustainability and impact of the AMDC. An implementation roadmap and operational model were generated that combined the best practices found in industry and academic theories that would help meet the objectives of the AMDC.
by Annabel Flores.
M.B.A.
S.M.

Thesis (DEd (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.
Vice-principals and principals play an essential role in school leadership teams, and the development programmes in which they participate to ensure effective Strategic Leadership in schools, have been the subject of intense debate for many years. Employing a mixed-method case study approach, this study examines and compares the perceptions, roles and responsibilities of newly appointed senior school leaders in two country contexts, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Specifically, it explores the professional development opportunities that newly appointed senior school leaders in Abu Dhabi, UAE and the Western Cape, South Africa, have been exposed to. It further investigates the particular professional development needs of these senior school leaders. This study uses Critical Realism theory as a philosophical lens through which to explore the perceptions of newly appointed senior school leaders on their roles, responsibilities, competencies and developmental needs. A comparative case study approach with qualitative and quantitative techniques was employed, and comprised of three elements. Firstly, a detailed questionnaire survey was administered at Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). Secondly, follow-up interviews were conducted with 25 per cent of the respondents for clarification and to establish the accuracy of data collected during the first phase. Finally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with officials from both ADEC and the WCED to gather further contextual data for each case. The main study findings confirm that as senior school leaders transition into their roles at ADEC and the WCED they require distinctive support in a variety of ways. It was found in both systems for instance that the training programmes are not appropriately designed, delivered, and aligned to the perceived needs of the respondents, and that they need appropriate and more contextualised, individualised, in-office support once appointed. The study's findings are consistent with the literature that newly appointed senior school leaders welcome support from mentors and role models but require to a lesser extent formal courses. They confirmed the current gap between the perceived needs of newly appointed senior school leaders and the current development programmes provided to support them, and identified a clear shortfall in their current competencies.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1995.
Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Jeannette Fleischner. Dissertation Committee: Thurston Atkins. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-125).

Academics and lay persons alike freely acknowledge that principals exert enormous influence over the creation, maintenance and enhancement of the learning environment in schools. They recognise that a turbulent educational world presents principals with multiple challenges in sustaining the conditions necessary for student achievement, and that some principals are more successful in this endeavour than others. This small-scale qualitative study uses a semi-structured interview process to gather data from five Chairpersons of Boards of Trustees who have appointed a principal within the preceding twelve months. The study discusses the professional capabilities that theoretical and empirical research suggests distinguish highly effective principals from capable performers. It adopts a bipartite approach to the literature, examining both academic understandings and the degree to which available official publications inform the thinking of Boards of Trustees prior to embarking on the principal appointment process. The study then explores the extent to which these understandings influence the decision-making of five Boards of Trustees in appointing a new principal. Research findings reveal a dichotomy between the theory underpinning concepts of highly effective principals and the practice of Boards of Trustees in appointing a principal. Largely unaware of the academic literature and inadequately informed by official publications, Boards of Trustees adopt a problematic generic recruitment and selection process. Uncritical acceptance of the professional knowledge and standing of external consultants and misplaced trust in the advice they proffer leads Boards to proceed on a questionable perceptual basis. Secure in the knowledge that they have obtained the educational expertise they freely acknowledge they lack, Boards are further exposed to prevailing market discourses and internal prejudices which undermine their ability to identify and appoint a principal who possesses the capabilities necessary to exercise highly effective, contextually specific leadership. This study suggests that the autonomy of Boards of Trustees in their role as employer be sustained but supported through the mandatory appointment of an appropriately qualified advisor and that the involvement of existing advisors be further scrutinized.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1995.
Includes tables and appendices. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Frank Smith. Dissertation Committee: Francis Ianni. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 272-274).

Thesis (D.Ed.)--University of Western Sydney, 2004.
"Portfolio submitted in satisfaction of the requirements for the Doctorate in Education, University of Western Sydney, 2004." Vol. 4 : binder containing loose leaves and CD. Includes bibliographical references, glossary and appendices.

The introduction of the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) provided both opportunities and challenges to schools. As teaching and learning has continued to evolve and develop in accordance with new research, technological innovations and changing school populations so too has curriculum. The curriculum was designed to initiate a transformation in values, principles, and key competencies that are needed for learners to successfully participate in schooling and society. The New Zealand government introduced a new curriculum in 2007 with the intention of it being implemented into schools by 2010. The content of curriculum was guided by pedagogical understandings supported by research. This included an emphasis on schools having ownership of their curriculum. The 2007 curriculum also had a larger focus on educating the whole child not just on learning objectives. This research investigates how three schools have undertaken the implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), and the effects this implementation has had on teaching and learning. Using semi-structured interviews, the descriptive narratives of each teacher’s and school’s experience and understanding has been explored. The results indicated that the participating schools are embracing the new curriculum and that changes made due to professional development, teacher collaboration and curriculum implementation are directly affecting learning for children in a positive way.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the impact of new public management (NPM) reforms on teacher professionalism in Swedish ethnic segregated schools. As a result of the various NPM reforms implemented in the education sector, the work of teachers has changed considerably in the last twenty years. The introduction of the new form of control has intensified the work load of professional teachers and led to standardization of teaching. Some scholars argue that NPM has led to professional losing control of their work resulting in de-professionalization of teachers while others argue that professional might acquire new skills that enhance their professionalism leading to re-professionalization. The theoretical basis for the thesis is Evetts (2009) occupational and organizational professionalism which is used to investigate the links between NPM and professionalism in the contexts of the public services professionals. The empirical study consists of five semi structured interviews with teachers working in four ethnic segregated schools. The findings show that teachers working in ethnic segregated schools encounter a challenging teaching environment that affects their teaching quality and diminish their professional autonomy. The result indicates the expansion of organizational professionalism and the demise of occupational professionalism. The only aspect of occupational professional that is apparent in this study is collegial relations. Moreover the findings of this study indicate the tendency towards de-professionalization.

Charter schools frequently receive public as well as federal attention, and there is a growing body of research becoming available examining charter schools. With all this research there is still a need for further studies which deal specifically with antecedents of charter school success. This study examined factors contributing toward the success of charter schools in the state of New York. It measured the success of a charter school with respect to student achievement levels which were measured via state mandated standardized English / Language Arts (ELA) test score averages provided on the Department of Education’s website for the state of New York (https://reportcards.nysed.gov/). An examination was made regarding the extent and manner in which student achievement levels vary with respect to the following factors: (a) teacher credentialing, (b) teacher experience, (c) teacher turnover, (d) class size, (e) student demographics, and (f) grade level. Differences in student achievement levels per these factors were also examined with respect to the following charter school management entities: (a) For-Profit Education Management Organizations (EMOs), (b) Non-Profit Charter Management Organizations (CMOs), and (c) independently managed Community Grown Organizations (CGOs). A clearer understanding of what leads to the success/failure of a school will be useful in, (a) sustaining success of currently successful schools, (b) providing data for failing schools to take into consideration, (c) informing charter authorizing agencies, as well as (d) aiding in replication of an existing successful school model. This study found that while there was no significant correlation between any of the predictor variables on ELA test scores during the 2011-2012 school year, Charter Management Organization did have a statistically significant effect on ELA test scores, with schools that are Community Grown Organizations (CGOs) yielding higher results than schools that contracted with Non-Profit Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) and For-Profit Education Management Organizations (EMOs). While currently the trend in expectation is that charter schools most likely to succeed, and thus be replicated, are the schools that contract with For-Profit Management Agencies (EMOs) and Non-Profit Management Agencies (CMOs), this study has shown that it is actually the Community Grown Organizations (CGOs) that have yielded higher ELA standardized test scores during the 2011-2012 school year, thus making them considered as more successful entities than the EMOs and CMOs. The results suggest that further efforts into replicating successful CGO school models should be seriously considered by both the individual schools and the Charter Authorizing Agencies.

Abstract Background Occupational Burnout is one of the greatest challenges affecting the labour markets today. It is mainly caused by prolonged stress exposure due to the psychosocial work environment and is nowadays the fastest growing cause of long-term sick leave in Sweden. It therefor affects both the society, organisation and individual. It is thus a managerial concern to manage and structure the organisations in a sustainable way that maximises the use of human resources, rather than burning them out.    Purpose The aim of the thesis is to investigate the high level of sick-leave or burnout due to organisational and managerial factors in the Swedish educational sector, by focusing on the role leadership, organisational and psychosocial work environment plays in preventing/causing employees’ burnout. The authors attempt to contribute knowledge on why theory may not match reality in this case, as statistics of sickleave due to stressrelated illness remains high. Methods In this qualitative study principals, administrators, and teachers of four public compulsory schools in Jönköping and Öckerö are interviewed. Using semi-structured interviews, data is gathered, coded and analysed in relation to modern research literature on the topic of burnout as well as Swedish Work Environment Authority guidelines, to spot key elements of positive and negative factors which have affected the stress situations of the schools’ employees. Several factors from organizational and leadership perspective are examined to assist organizations to avoid or prevent burnout.   Results Prevalence of high burnout rates in schools in the cases studied, was associated with recent large reorganization of employees and administration; weak and inefficient leadership which did not strive to build relationships and open communication with teachers; low integration between sectors and working groups; lack of support and monitoring of stressed employees; low ability of employees to contribute to their workplace environments; the shortage of budgets issued by municipality.   Conclusions 1.The reason sick leave related to stress and burnout is high in the cases studied, is that implementation of research and policy guidelines is lacking behind in schools which suffer from employee stress related issues. As well as the current management model of the public sector may not benefit to prevent employee burnout.   2. It is possible to avoid employee burnout through adjusting the management and organizational structure, as adaptations toward dealing with employees’ stress are showing a positive sign on preventing the development of burnout.

The ramifications of school decline are profoundly serious for the students, staff and community of a school. School decline is the steady downwards spiral that some schools experience when a complex set of influences interact with negative and unresolved outcomes. This study explored the largely unresearched area of school decline and developed a set of potential predictors of decline that could assist in understanding, preventing or dealing effectively with school decline in the future. Grounded theory, selected as a methodology appropriate for exploratory research, was used to guide the process of data collection and theory development. Three schools, labeled by agencies and the media as being in serious decline or “failing”, were selected for the study. Adults who were in significant roles in the schools during the decline periods were interviewed about their experiences. As part of the data analysis and interpretation a set of propositions was drafted and was sent to these interviewees and to fourteen educational advisors who work with schools at risk and in decline. The advisors’ feedback on the propositions, analysis of school related documents, Education Review Office reports and Ministry of Education file documents provided rich additional data. The factors associated with the lead up to school decline, and the process of decline, are multilayered, contextual and complex. Each study school’s experience of decline involved a unique combination and order of occurrence of common factors and influences. Many of the issues that predispose schools towards decline are associated with, and are exacerbated by, unethical or unprofessional attitudes or behaviour by individuals, and unprofessional practices within the schools and between neighbouring schools. Once decline begins it escalates and is difficult to stop. This thesis contributes towards the development of a theory of school decline by identifying potential predictors of school decline and by describing how decline begins and escalates. It also identifies factors that are associated with interventions being insufficient or ineffective. The theory of school decline provides insights for school leaders and educational agencies that may assist in the prediction and prevention of school decline in the future.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on problems in the teaching fraternity after 1994. The transition to democracy brought about major changes in the running of the civil service. This study explores how the education policy of the central government in general, and that of KwaZulu-Natal Province in particular, affected human relations between school managers and teachers. A questionnaire was used to investigate the issue. Education policy guidelines and literature have been used to illustrate how policy can produce unintended consequences. The respondents to the questionnaire were selected school managers and teachers. The questions were aimed at gauging opinion regarding issues such as protection of line managers, moratorium on teacher transfers, the Labour Relations Act, commitment to teaching and training needs, to name just a few. Human relations seemed to worsen from 1996 to 1999 as most educators disobeyed the rules and to same extent continued to do so even after this period, in the name of unionism driven by "relatively" fair labour practice. One of the contentious issues in the conflict was the Labour Relations Act of 1995 that streamlined all labour sectors, thus doing away with differentiated legislation on each sector. The study found that the following factors contributed to strained human relations in the KwaZulu-Natal education sector: The abolition of corporal punishment in schools, a general lack of recognition for educational achievement of educators, a lack of recognition for good performance by supervisors, the way in which the Labour Relations Act was implemented in schools, unregulated voluntary severance packages for teachers, and the refusal by teacher unions to take up the duty loads of terminated temporary educators. In the light of the above the study made four recommendations: Knowledge and understanding of the Labour Relations Act should be strengthened among educators, further education of teachers should be recognised as it affects the quality of education in schools, the re-opening of educator transfers should be investigated, and training programmes are important to ensure capacity building.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie fokus op probleme wat in die onderwys-sektor ervaar is na 1994. Die transisie na demokrasie het groot veranderinge gebring tot die manier waarop die staatsdiens bestuur is. Die studie ondersoek die manier waarop mense-verhoudinge tussen skoolbestuurders en onderwysers, affekteer is deur die beleid van die sentrale regering in die algemeen, en die provinsie van KwaZulu-Natal in die besonder. 'n Vraelys is gebruik om die ondersoek te doen. Onderwysbeleidsriglyne en literatuur is gebruik om te illustreer hoe beleid in hierdie gevalonvoorsiene gevolge gehad het. Die respondente tot die vraelys is geselekteerde skoolbestuurders en onderwysers. Die vrae is gemik daarop om die opinies rakende die volgende kwessies te meet: die beskerming van lynbestuurders, die moratorium op onderwyser verplasings, die Wet op Arbeidverhoudinge, die verbeterings tot onderwys- en opleidingsbehoeftes, ensomeer. Verhoudinge het veral tussen 1996 en 1999 versleg, met die gevolg dat die meerderheid van onderwysers in die provinsie die department se reëls gebreek het (selfs na hierdie periode), in die naam van vakbond-aksie gedryf deur "relatiewe" regverdige arbeidspraktyk. In hierdie verband, was een van die vernaamste sake in die konflik die Wet op Arbeidsverhoudinge van 1995. Hierdie wet het alle arbeidsektore onder een bedeling gestroomlyn en so weggedoen met gedifferensieerde wetgewing vir elke sektor. Die studie vind op grond van die vraelys dat die volgende faktore die vernaamstes was in die KwaZulu-Natal onderwys sektor: Die afskaffing van lyfstraf in die skole, die tekort aan erkenning van studie deur onderwysers, die tekort aan erkenning vir goeie prestasie deur toesighouers, die manier waarop die Wet op Arbeidsverhoudinge in skole toegepas is, ongereguleerde toekenning van vrywillege aftrede pakkette, en die weiering deur onderwys vakbonde om die verpligtinge van afgedankte tydelike onderwysers to skouer. In die lig van hierdie faktore is die volgende voorstelle gemaak: Kennis en verstaan van die Wet op Arbeidsverhoudinge moet beter aan onderwysers gekommunikeer word, verdure studie deur onderwysers moet erken word aangesien dit die kwaliteit van onderwys beinvloed, onderwys verplasings moet weer ondersoek word, en opleidingsprogramme is 'n belangrike manier van kapasiteitsbou.

Cette thèse explore la manière dont se construisent les relations de pouvoir dans les écoles primaires françaises, en se posant la question de la réalité du « pouvoir » des directions d'école. Le pouvoir est surtout entendu au sens crozierien, comme la maîtrise des zones d'incertitudes par les différents acteurs en présence. Les recherches françaises sont peu nombreuses sur la question des directions d'école primaire, alors même qu'elles abondent sur la question des chefs d'établissement. Mais l'école primaire n'est pas un établissement juridiquement autonome comme le collège ou le lycée. Elle ne dispose conséquemment d'aucune autonomie juridique et financière. Le directeur n'est pas un « chef d'établissement », il n'en a pas le statut administratif. L'émergence de l'école primaire en France, analysée historiquement en première partie, montre un modèle d'école sous forte tutelle hiérarchique, dans un système très centralisé avec une importante légitimation bureaucratique et réglementaire. Cette légitimité est remise en cause par l'irruption de nouveaux acteurs et de nouvelles politiques, en vue d'une meilleure efficacité qui se concrétise par une demande de travailler en « projet » au niveau local. La méfiance de bien des enseignants face à ce qui est reçu comme une injonction, se répercute à la fois sur la hiérarchie proche (IEN) et lointaine (circulaires, décrets, changements de politiques en fonction des aléas électoraux) mais avant tout sur la direction d'école responsable de la mise en œuvre. Ceci est mis en perspective avec différents modèles sociologiques (deuxième partie) et en particulier avec la sociologie des organisations de Crozier rapportée à des modèles plus récents (Mintzberg, Boltanski entre autres). La triangulation des méthodes permet d'obtenir une vision et des données à la fois généralistes, via une enquête par questionnaire (N=5 747 dont 2 211 directeurs d'école), singulières par une ethnographie intégrée au travail quotidien d'une directrice d'école et complémentaires à partir d'entretiens auprès de directeurs et directrices d'école (N=15) comme auprès de la hiérarchie proche (Inspecteurs, N=5) et décisionnelle, allant jusqu'au cabinet ministériel. Épistémologiquement et méthodologiquement, cette thèse assume la complémentarité de méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives (Troisième partie). Ce travail montre la tension, dans le temps d'un changement de référentiel, entre la liberté pédagogique et l'individualisme qui en découle et un appel au travail « collectif » selon les formes du "New public management". Il montre aussi les hésitations entre ce modèle de « l'autonomie » et du local et un modèle centralisé pyramidal. Il examine le paradoxe d'une direction d'école non hiérarchique, dépourvue de statut et la psychologisation des relations qui en découle. Nous examinons tant le point de vue des directeurs, que celui des enseignants quant à la question particulièrement importante analytiquement du statut des premiers qui clivent les fonctions. L'examen d'un important corpus qualitatif en montre les raisons et les conséquences (quatrième partie). Une ethnographie intégrée et des entretiens de directeurs (cinquième partie) mettent à jour de manière plus précise l'ensemble des enjeux et conflits de pouvoir dans une équipe spécifique; l'occupation des lieux, l'usage de l'argent de la coopérative scolaire, les relations avec les parents et le périscolaire par exemple, complète le portrait du directeur en « marginal sécant ». Des entretiens avec la hiérarchie parachève la situation des directeurs d'école (Sixième partie). Le directeur est sans doute un « marginal sécant », mais son pouvoir » est limité, parfois contesté. Assigné au « sale boulot » du maintien de l'ordre, il est au centre de jeux et d'enjeux d'alliances complexes dans et hors de son école. Il est finalement examiné à quelles conditions il peut être ou devenir un « acteur ingénieux » capable d'entraîner une équipe au-delà de son seul charisme
This thesis explores the way in which power relations are constructed in French primary schools, by posing the question of the reality of the "power" of school principals. Power is mainly understood in the Croatian sense, as the control of areas of uncertainty by the various actors involved. French research is scarce on the issue of primary school principals, even though they abound on the issue of school heads. But primary school is not a legally autonomous institution like college or high school. It therefore has no legal and financial autonomy. The director is not a "headteacher", he does not have the administrative status. The emergence of primary school in France, analyzed historically in the first part, shows a school model under strong hierarchical supervision, in a highly centralized system with significant bureaucratic and regulatory legitimization. This legitimacy is challenged by the emergence of new actors and new policies, with a view to greater efficiency, which translates into a demand to work as a "project" at the local level. The mistrust of many teachers in the face of what is received as an injunction, has repercussions both on the close (NEI) and distant hierarchy (circulars, decrees, changes in policies depending on the electoral hazards) but above all on the direction school responsible for implementation. This is put in perspective with different sociological models (second part) and in particular with the sociology of Crozier's organizations related to more recent models (Mintzberg, Boltanski among others).The triangulation of the methods allows to obtain a vision and data at the same time generalist, via a survey by questionnaire (N = 5 747 among which 2 211 directors of school), singular by an ethnography integrated in the daily work of a director d and complementary from interviews with principals (N = 15) and with the immediate hierarchy (Inspectors, N = 5) and decision-makers, up to the ministerial cabinet. Epistemologically and methodologically, this thesis assumes the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative methods (Part Three). This work shows the tension, in the time of a change of frame of reference, between the educational freedom and the individualism which results from it and a call to the work "collective" according to the forms of the "New public management". It also shows the hesitations between this model of "autonomy" and the local and a centralized pyramidal model. He examines the paradox of a non-hierarchical, status-free school leadership and the resulting psychologization of relationships. We examine both the point of view of the directors and the point of view of the teachers on the particularly important issue analytically of the status of the first who cleave the functions. An examination of an important body of work shows the reasons and the consequences (fourth part). An integrated ethnography and interviews of directors (fifth part) bring out more precisely all the issues and power conflicts in a specific team; the occupation of the premises, the use of the school cooperative's money, the relations with the parents and the extracurricular for example, completes the portrait of the director in "marginal secant". Interviews with the superiors complete the situation of principals (Part Six). The director is undoubtedly a "secant marginal", but his power "is limited, sometimes disputed. Assigned to the "dirty work" of policing, he is at the center of games and challenges of complex alliances in and out of his school. It is finally examined whether and under what conditions it can be or become an "ingenious actor" capable of training a team beyond its only charisma
Esta tesis explora la forma en que las relaciones de poder se construyen en las escuelas primarias francesas, planteando la cuestión de la realidad del "poder" de los directores de las escuelas. El poder se entiende principalmente en el sentido croata, como el control de las áreas de incertidumbre por parte de los diversos actores involucrados. La investigación francesa es escasa en el tema de los directores de escuelas primarias, a pesar de que abundan en el tema de los directores de escuelas. Pero la escuela primaria no es una institución legalmente autónoma como la universidad o la escuela secundaria. Por lo tanto, no tiene autonomía legal y financiera. El director no es un "director", no tiene el estado administrativo. El surgimiento de la escuela primaria en Francia, analizado históricamente en la primera parte, muestra un modelo escolar bajo una fuerte supervisión jerárquica, en un sistema altamente centralizado con una importante legitimación burocrática y regulatoria. Esta legitimidad se ve desafiada por la aparición de nuevos actores y nuevas políticas, con miras a una mayor eficiencia, lo que se traduce en una demanda para trabajar como un "proyecto" a nivel local. La desconfianza de muchos docentes frente a lo que se recibe como medida cautelar, tiene repercusiones tanto en la jerarquía cercana (NEI) como distante (circulares, decretos, cambios en las políticas dependiendo de los riesgos electorales) pero sobre todo en la dirección escuela responsable de la implementación. Esto se pone en perspectiva con diferentes modelos sociológicos (segunda parte) y, en particular, con la sociología de las organizaciones de Crozier relacionadas con modelos más recientes (Mintzberg, Boltanski, entre otros). La triangulación de los métodos permite obtener una visión y datos a la vez generalistas, a través de una encuesta por cuestionario (N = 5 747 entre los que se encuentran 2 211 directores de escuela), singular por una etnografía integrada en el trabajo diario de un director d y complementario de las entrevistas con los directores (N = 15) y con la jerarquía inmediata (inspectores, N = 5) y los responsables de la toma de decisiones, hasta el gabinete ministerial. Epistemológica y metodológicamente, esta tesis asume la complementariedad de los métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos (Parte Tres). Este trabajo muestra la tensión, en el momento de un cambio de marco de referencia, entre la libertad educativa y el individualismo que resulta de ella y un llamado al trabajo "colectivo" según las formas de la "Nueva gestión pública". También muestra las dudas entre este modelo de "autonomía" y el modelo piramidal central y local. Examina la paradoja de un liderazgo escolar no jerárquico y libre de status y la consiguiente psicologización de las relaciones. Examinamos tanto el punto de vista de los directores y el punto de vista de los profesores sobre el tema particularmente importante analíticamente del estado de los primeros que escindieron las funciones. Un examen de un cuerpo importante de trabajo muestra los motivos y las consecuencias (cuarta parte). Una etnografía integrada y entrevistas de directores (quinta parte) ponen de manifiesto con mayor precisión todos los problemas y conflictos de poder en un equipo específico; la ocupación de las instalaciones, el uso del dinero de la cooperativa escolar, las relaciones con los padres y las actividades extracurriculares, por ejemplo, completa el retrato del director en "secante marginal". Las entrevistas con los superiores completan la situación de los directores (Parte Seis). El director es indudablemente un "marginal secante", pero su poder "es limitado, a veces disputado. Asignado al "trabajo sucio" de la policía, él está en el centro de los juegos y los desafíos de las alianzas complejas dentro y fuera de su escuela. Finalmente es examinado en qué condiciones puede ser o convertirse en un "actor ingenioso" capaz de entrenar a un equipo más allá de su único carisma

The original purpose of this thesis is to explore the possibility of setting up a school in Aotearoa (New Zealand) that operates according to the principles and philosophies of Summerhill School in Suffolk, England. An examination of Summerhill School is therefore the purpose of this study, particularly because of its commitment to self-regulation and direct democracy for children. My argument within this study is that Summerhill presents precisely the type of model Māori as Tangata Whenua (Indigenous people of Aotearoa) need in our design of an alternative schooling programme, given that self-regulation and direct democracy are traits conducive to achieving Tino Rangitiratanga (Self-government, autonomy and control). In claiming this however, not only would Tangata Whenua benefit from this model of schooling; indeed it has the potential to serve the purpose of all people regardless of age race or gender. At present, no school in Aotearoa has replicated Summerhill's principles and philosophies in their entirety. Given the constraints of a Master's thesis, this piece of work is therefore only intended as a theoretical background study for a much larger kaupapa (purpose). It is my intention to produce a further and more comprehensive study in the future using Summerhill as a vehicle to initiate a model school in Aotearoa that is completely antithetical to the dominant neo-liberal philosophy of our age. To this end, my study intends to demonstrate how neo-liberal schooling is universally dictated by global money market trends, and how it is an ideology fueled by the indifferent acceptance of the general population. In other words, neo-liberal theory is a theory of capitalist colonisation. In order to address the long term vision, this project will be comprised of two major components. The first will be a study of the principal philosophies that govern Summerhill School. As I will argue, Summerhill creates an environment that is uniquely successful and fulfilling for the children who attend. At the same time, it will also be shown how it is a philosophy that is entirely contrary to a neo-liberal 3 mindset; an antidote, to a certain extent, to the ills of contemporary schooling. The second component will address the historical movement of schooling in Aotearoa since the Labour Party's landslide victory in 1984, and how the New Zealand Curriculum has been affected by these changes. I intend to trace the importation of neo-liberal methodologies into Aotearoa such as the 'Picot Taskforce,' 'Tomorrows Schools' and 'Bulk Funding,' to name but a few. The neo-liberal ideologies that have swept through this country in the last two decades have relentlessly metamorphosised departments into businesses and forced ministries into the marketplace, hence causing the 'ideological reduction of education' and confining it to the parameters of schooling. The purpose of this research project is to act as a catalyst for the ultimate materialization of an original vision; the implementation of a school like Summerhill in Aotearoa. A study of the neo-liberal ideologies that currently dominate this country is imperative in order to understand the current schooling situation in Aotearoa and create an informed comparison between the 'learning for freedom' style of Summerhill and the 'learning to earn' style of our status quo schools. It is my hope to strengthen the argument in favour of Summerhill philosophy by offering an understanding of the difference between the two completely opposing methods of learning.

Advances in medical technology have altered the need for certain types of surgery to be performed in traditional inpatient hospital settings. Less invasive surgical procedures allow a growing number of medical treatments to take place on an outpatient basis. Hospitals face growing competition from ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). The competitive threats posed by ASCs are important, given that inpatient surgery has been the cornerstone of hospital services for over a century. Additional research is needed to understand how surgical volume shifts between and within acute care general hospitals (ACGHs) and ASCs. This study investigates how medical technology within the hospital industry is changing medical services delivery. The main purposes of this study are to (1) test Clayton M. Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation in health care, and (2) examine the effects of disruptive innovation on appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and bariatric surgery (ACBS) utilization. Disruptive innovation theory contends that advanced technology combined with innovative business models—located outside of traditional product markets or delivery systems—will produce simplified, quality products and services at lower costs with broader accessibility. Consequently, new markets will emerge, and conventional industry leaders will experience a loss of market share to “non-traditional” new entrants into the marketplace. The underlying assumption of this work is that ASCs (innovative business models) have adopted laparoscopy (innovative technology) and their unification has initiated disruptive innovation within the hospital industry. The disruptive effects have spawned shifts in surgical volumes from open to laparoscopic procedures, from inpatient to ambulatory settings, and from hospitals to ASCs. The research hypothesizes that: (1) there will be larger increases in the percentage of laparoscopic ACBS performed than open ACBS procedures; (2) ambulatory ACBS will experience larger percent increases than inpatient ACBS procedures; and (3) ASCs will experience larger percent increases than ACGHs. The study tracks the utilization of open, laparoscopic, inpatient and ambulatory ACBS. The research questions that guide the inquiry are: 1. How has ACBS utilization changed over this time? 2. Do ACGHs and ASCs differ in the utilization of ACBS? 3. How do states differ in the utilization of ACBS? 4. Do study findings support disruptive innovation theory in the hospital industry? The quantitative study employs a panel design using hospital discharge data from 2004 and 2009. The unit of analysis is the facility. The sampling frame is comprised of ACGHs and ASCs in Florida and Wisconsin. The study employs exploratory and confirmatory data analysis. This work finds that disruptive innovation theory is an effective model for assessing the hospital industry. The model provides a useful framework for analyzing the interplay between ACGHs and ASCs. While study findings did not support the stated hypotheses, the impact of government interventions into the competitive marketplace supports the claims of disruptive innovation theory. Regulations that intervened in the hospital industry facilitated interactions between ASCs and ACGHs, reducing the number of ASCs performing ACBS and altering the trajectory of ACBS volume by shifting surgeries from ASCs to ACGHs.

School districts and states have increasingly abandoned traditional school reform efforts in favor of simply closing low-performing schools. This movement reflects growing frustration among policymakers with the disappointing effects of previous school improvement policies, and the view that some schools may simply lack the capacity to undertake meaningful improvements. This paper focuses on arguably the most aggressive school closure policies in the nation--those in New York City. Over the past decade, New York City has closed over 100 schools. Using a longitudinal database of students and schools, I explore the implementation and effects of closure and reconstitution of middle schools in New York City, and assess the links between school closure and student academic development and behavior. My descriptive findings indicate that schools selected for closure have significantly lower school-average state test score exams and lower attendance rates compared to other middle schools for several years prior to closure, and that students who attend these schools are almost exclusively Hispanic and Black, more likely to come from low-income families, and more mobile than other middle school students in the district. I also find that students enter these middle schools already at a significant academic disadvantage. I examine characteristics of the reconstituted schools that replace the closed schools, and find that in terms of demographics, reconstituted schools enroll students similar to those served by the closed schools that they replaced. However, the reconstituted schools serve higher performing students with fewer absences and tardies in the year prior to enrolling in middle school. To assess the impact of school closure on student academic outcomes, I use propensity-score matching within a difference-in-differences framework. I find a small, positive effect of school closure on student test scores and rates of absences. As a robustness check, I conduct a second set of analyses using student fixed-effects models that produced similar results: students learn slightly less at chronically underperforming schools, compared to what would have happened had they attended an alternate school. School closure appears to be a somewhat effective in improving student academic outcomes. It is not clear, however, whether the policy is efficient given the small effects and the considerable disruption associated with the policy. Future research should examine the fiscal costs associated with closure, compared to costs of other policies with similar effects.

School reforms in New Orleans have brought sweeping changes to the way public schools are governed and managed, and to the way in which students are assigned to public schools. Non-profit charter school boards now govern over 90% of public schools, and families are able to choose the public school in which they enroll. Competition within the system of schools is expected to compel schools to differentiate themselves from each other in order to attract and retain students. School-level budgetary data provide one source of information with which to examine the priorities schools establish as they seek to differentiate themselves. There is a significant body of research comparing the resource allocation patterns in traditional public schools to those in charter schools. Often, however, these comparisons are drawn between schools that do not operate in a single educational marketplace. Rather, they compare schools within different geographic areas that may not be in direct competition with each other. Many of the studies also fail to distinguish between non-network charter schools and those run by centralized charter school networks. This quantitative case study uses the New Orleans public school marketplace as a critical case for examining how governance and management structures impact school spending. Specifically, the study aims to identify, describe, and understand whether and how school-level resource allocation patterns differ across schools of different governance and management structures, and how those patterns might be influenced by market competition. This research uses linear regression models to estimate differences in resource allocation between traditional public and charter schools in the educational marketplace, after controlling for student and school-level characteristics. School expenditures are examined over a variety of expense categories and human resource indicators. Data from New Orleans suggest that privatization and decentralization have a significant impact on how resources are allocated at the school level. Importantly, however, no significant spending differences emerge when data are aggregated to the level of the local education agency. In other words, spending in the traditional public school district, charter management organizations, and single site charter schools appear similar, irrespective of governance and management structure of those organizations.

The purpose of this dissertation is to develop and empirically test a theoretical model of international school headship transitions in order to identify potential sources of unwanted turnover. Anecdotal evidence from the past two decades suggests that the short tenure of international school heads (average = 3.7 years, Benson, 2011) is unwanted by international schools, a result of up to 70% of heads either volunteering to leave their schools prematurely, being fired, or failing to have their contracts renewed. This qualitative multi-case study dissertation analyzes the experiences of twelve second-year international school heads guided by the use of a theoretical framework grounded in the literatures of leadership and governance in international schools, non-profit organizations, U.S. school districts, and charter schools in order to determine the factors that heads identify as affecting their transitions to work and life abroad. Findings from this study suggest that the headship transition process proceeds in three phases, with heads identifying specific factors affecting transition experiences at each respective phase. Organizational recruitment and selection, contract negotiation, and personal motivation affect heads during the acceptance phase, or the period between the job search and formally accepting an offered contract to become a head of school. Work transition supports (realistic job previews), relocation supports (i.e. locating housing and medical care), and work role spillover (i.e. exiting one job while preparing to entry another) impacts heads during the anticipation stage between hire and their first day on the job. Managing board relations, personal/familial satisfaction in living abroad, and unforeseen incidents (i.e. illness or civil strife) affects heads during the adjustment phase in the first year on the job. This dissertation contributes to the limited literature concerning leadership and governance in international schools while extending the more robust education leadership and expatriate adjustment literatures.

This study examines whether small high school reform in New York City has fulfilled its goal of providing disadvantaged students access to rigorous mathematics curricula, thereby increasing their college readiness. Between 2002 and 2010 in New York City, 27 large, comprehensive high schools were closed or downsized and replaced by over 200 new small schools (Jennings & Pallas, 2010). Although extant research indicates that these schools have produced higher attendance and graduation rates (Bloom et al., 2010; 2012), the literature on small high school reform and college readiness remains inconclusive. To address this gap in the literature, my dissertation employs a longitudinal database of New York City student and school-level data from 2000-2010 to examine the impact of small high school reform on student math course-taking for two cohorts of students (the class of 2009 and 2010). I address the threat of selection bias by utilizing several propensity score matching techniques within a multilevel modeling framework. I find a small, positive impact of attending a new, small high school on students' progress through the math curriculum (one-sixth of a year) for the class of 2009, but not for the class of 2010. Yet while students in the new, small high schools, who are among the most disadvantaged in the city, might be faring slightly better than they would have had they attended an alternate high school option, they are still failing to complete even one semester of Algebra II/Trigonometry--the lowest level of course deemed "college preparatory" by the district. Furthermore, small high schools are not equally beneficial for all types of students. Black and Hispanic students appear to do better in the small schools than in alternate high school options, while the reverse is true for whites. Meanwhile, students with initially low math achievement benefit from attending small high schools, while students with middle-to-high levels of initial math achievement are better served elsewhere. Moreover, the new, small high schools are much less likely to offer advanced math courses such as calculus or any Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate math--effectively cutting their students off from the opportunity to take these courses. Finally, my results suggest that the rigor of math courses in the new, small schools may be weaker than in the alternate high school options in New York City. Taken together with the existing research, my results suggest that the consequences of small high school reform in New York City are both more complicated and less positive than the reformers promised or district officials will admit (Gates, 2005; Walcott, 2012). While these schools are unquestionably improvements over the large, failing schools they replaced, they remain at the bottom of an intensely academically stratified school system, and they have failed to raise students' college readiness in math. Moreover, these schools are particularly under serving high achieving students by cutting them off from rigorous, advanced math courses.

This case study of four multi-campus colleges in New South Wales combines both qualitative and quantitative research instruments in a multiple-case study methodology to investigate the reasons why the DET restructured 34 of its comprehensive high schools into 11 multi-campus colleges and to study the interplay of the structural and cultural dynamics in those colleges. The study is situated in the literature on organisational behaviour whose perspective recognises the close interconnectedness between structure and culture but emphasises reculturing as the essence of effective organisational dynamism. In particular, special attention is given to Pace’s (2002) dynamics model which was redesigned into the Dynamics Paradigm that underpins the data analysis in this thesis. Using 16 structural-cultural dynamics criteria, themes and patterns were identified in the data and through iterative, inductive analysis, they were categorised into the different elements of the Dynamics Paradigm for analysis. Contextual contingency, curriculum, opportunity, economic rationalisation, politics and policies of the DET, plus demonstration effects from other Australian States and Territories were the reasons for the restructuring of the comprehensive high schools. The study identifies 12 areas for further research, recommends 32 policy options which could lead to improved outcomes for students and teachers in multi-campus colleges, and proposes 11 potential applications of this thesis.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

碩士
國立政治大學
學校行政碩士在職專班
99
The purpose of this Study was to explore a study on the relationship among teacher organizational learning and school innovative management in elementary school of New Taipei City. The purpose of this Study includes: 1. To understand the current teacher learning organizations in elementary schools of New Taipei Ciy and the current status of school innovative management. 2. To explore difference among different background teachers in elementary schools of New Taipei City, variations of school background on teacher learning organizxation, and the current status of school innovative management. 3. To analyze the relationship among teacher learning organizations in elementary schools of New Taipei City and school innovative management. 4. To explore wheher teacher learning organizations in elementary schools of New Taipei City have significant prediction on school innovative managemen. 5. To offer suggestion as per the study result to be provided as a reference for consequent research proceeded by the related units. This Study mainly adopted questionnaire survey aimed at 209 schools in New Taipei City., as being divided into general area school (urban area)., totaling 155 schools, and remote area school (suburban area)., totaling 54 schools. The survey was proceeded on 550 teachers and staffs as interviewee with modified “Survey Questionnaire on School Condition of Elementary Schools”., of which includes two evaluation forms as “Evaluation Form on Teacher Learning Organization” and “ Evaluation Form on School Innovative Management” respectively to proceed the said study. It actually issued 516 copies and recovered 501 copies of valid questionnaire, the recovery rate was 97%. The data was analyzed by SPSS/PC17.0 package software to proceed descriptive statistics, and also adopted t test, single factor variances, related accumulated difference, multiple stepwise regression analysis and discuss, the major conclusion obtained is as follows: 1. The current status on cognition of “Information Collection”, “Systematic Thinking”, “Communication Thinking”, “Teamwork Learning” shown by teachers in elementary schools of New Taipei City, that is very good. 2. The current status on cognition of “Environmental Equipment”, “ Organizational Atmosphere”, “Growth on Teaching Profession”, “Administrative Management” of school innovative management as being realized by teachers in elementary schools of New Taipei City, that is also very good. 3. More ages, senior, or teacher with administrative duties taught in the school less thant hundred year history, they have higher extent of cognition on teacher learning organization. 4. Male teacher, more ages, senior, or teacher with administrative duties taught in the school of general area, they have higher extent of cognition on school innovative management. 5. Both teacher learning organization and innovative management have significant and positive relation on each aspect. 6. The most influential force on teacher learning organization is “ Communication Thinking”. Finally, this Study offers a concrete suggestion as per the result of study to be provided for the reference of “Education Practice” and “Future Research”.

博士
國立臺北教育大學
教育經營與管理學系
106
The major purpose of this study is to investigate whether teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior could mediate the relationship between principal’s knowledge leadership and effectiveness of school innovation management at senior high schools in New Taipei City. The survey method was employed in this study. This study recruited senior high school educators in New Taipei City as the participant. The first step of this study is to gather and investigate domestic and foreign relevant literature as a theoretical basis for designing a questionnaire. By using SPSS and AMOS, the data was analyzed by mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, one factor analysis of variance（ANOVA）, Pearson correlation analysis, and SEM. According to the results of the study, the conclusions are as follows： 1. The educators of senior high schools in New Taipei City hold a positive attitude toward principal’s knowledge leadership, teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior and effectiveness of school innovation management, which shows that knowledge leadership, teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior and effectiveness of school innovation management at senior high schools in New Taipei City interacted well in this city. 2. There is a positive correlation between each pair of principal’s knowledge leadership, teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior and effectiveness of school innovation management. 3. The structural model of principal’s knowledge leadership, teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior and effectiveness of school innovation management at senior high schools in New Taipei City exhibited good fit to the data. 4. Teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior positively mediated effect of principal’s knowledge leadership on effectiveness of school innovation management at senior high schools in New Taipei City.

This research sought to investigate middle management‟s roles in implementing the new curriculum at grade 10 -12 levels; it involved a small qualitative study of two schools in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. At a policy level, the role of middle managers at school level in South Africa has changed. The transformation of the curriculum in South Africa placed a need in all spheres of the education system to be flexible and innovative in accepting change. In fact this need for change is mostly required by the middle management of the schools who bear the brunt of working with teachers and learners in implementing the new curriculum. Hence this qualitative study was undertaken to investigate their roles. In investigating the topic the following three questions were considered as of critical importance in understanding middle managers roles in the new curriculum. The first question explored middle managers‟ main roles in implementing the new curriculum. Secondly it explored how middle managers responded to the current reform process at the FET level, and lastly it investigated how middle managers intertwined assessment in implementing the new curriculum. The review of the literature focused on curriculum implementation internationally and locally and also explored the role of the middle managers as leaders and managers in the curriculum implementation process. The study took place in two rural schools and participants included four middle managers (three heads of department and one principal). Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. A selection of documents (planning and teaching documents) was also collected for analysis. In a nutshell analysis revealed that endeavours were made towards the planning process. There was a presence of the subject framework, work schedule and the lesson plan. This indicated that the initial process of designing the learning programmes was being done. However, data revealed that middle managers fulfilled a management rather than leadership function. Their roles consisted largely of curriculum implementation processes at the expense of curriculum innovation and change. Barriers included a lack of time for proper planning and innovation due to a full teaching load as well as a lack of training by the Department of Education in the area of curriculum development and innovation.
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Multi-Layered Predictors of ESE Policy Adoption: A growing number of K-12 public school districts in the United States have begun to embrace the whole-school approach to environmental and sustainability education through the implementation of simultaneous efforts to green their facilities and provide related educational programming. This article explores the breadth of this critical approach in the 200 largest school districts in the country. In examining policy predictors at the district, municipal, and state levels, the study combines National Center for Education Statistics data and information from a systematic web scan of school district and municipal websites. Using logistic regression, the analysis reveals four main findings. First, school districts under mayoral control are more likely to have a policy. Second, the study underscores the interconnectedness of these policies with the sustainability efforts of the municipalities they are located in. Third, school districts located in large cities are more likely to have a policy. Fourth, support from state educational agencies plays a role in advancing a policy. The Case of New York City Public Schools: Within an educational system increasingly focused on test-based accountability, how can a local education authority adopt a holistic environmental and sustainability education (ESE) policy? What local and global factors and actors shape and inform the creation of such a policy? In answering these questions, this article examines the formulation of ESE policy in the New York City Department of Education. Based on an analysis of archival documents and 20 expert interviews, the study draws on the Advocacy Coalition Framework and extends its application by adding global and social movement perspectives. In doing so this study finds that external events enabled the initial enactment of the policy in 2009, while the practice and local pilots of ESE programs substantially informed the reformulation of the policy in 2012. Taking the Expected Path vs. Forging Their Own: ESE Policies at DPS and PWCS: How do similar environmental and sustainability education policies unfold in fundamentally distinct locations? This article compares and contrasts environmental and sustainability education policies in two school districts: Denver Public Schools and Prince William County Public Schools. Although the districts are similar in size and education governance (elected school board), the locale of the school district, public opinion, local sustainability efforts, and the support at the state level for environmental and sustainability education are quite different. Grounded in an extended Advocacy Coalition Framework, the study contextualizes the different global, state and local factors and explores the agency of actors that shape policy change over time. The research finds that the policy at Denver Public Schools is following an expected path influenced by external factors such as the city’s sustainability plan, public opinion, and state support in the form of an Environmental Literacy Plan. In contrast, gubernatorial influence, and joint action of the sustainability team, parents and students forged a pathway to an unexpected policy at Prince William County Public Schools. The study strengthens empirical research of subnational environmental and sustainability policies and shows how different pathways are possible.

Text in English, abstract in English, Zulu and Sepedi
The education system in Zimbabwe has experienced a wide range of educational reforms and technological changes since the last half of the 20th century. These changes have resulted in a significant expansion of the duties and responsibilities that school heads are expected to perform in schools. Despite these changes, there has not been a comprehensive training programme meant to prepare newly promoted secondary school heads for the daunting task of school leadership in Zimbabwe. The study sought to examine the perceptions of stakeholders regarding management development programmes (MDPs) for beginning secondary school heads (BSSHs). The study employed the descriptive case study approach based on a qualitative research design. A total of 28 participants were initially selected for the study but only 27 took part. The participants comprised five BSSHs, five practising secondary school heads, four deputy heads and 10 senior teachers who were drawn from 10 selected secondary schools in Zaka district. Three school inspectors from the district education office in Zaka district also took part. The participants were purposively sampled using the maximum variation sampling approach to account for the differences of their professional categories. Individual semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the BSSHs, practising secondary school heads and school inspectors, while focus group interviews were used to collect data from deputy heads and senior teachers. A review of relevant documentary sources such as vacancy announcement circulars, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) training and development policy and policy circulars from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) was also undertaken. The findings indicated that there was a need for a management development programme that would equip newly promoted school heads with the relevant technical skills and competencies that would enable them to provide sound leadership to schools. The study established that BSSHs required knowledge and skills in financial management, instructional leadership, general administration, ICT, policy issues, human resources management, community relations, documentation and asset management.
Uhlelo lwezemfundo eZimbabwe seluhlangabenzane nezinkinga ezinkulu ezimayelana nezinguquko kwezemfundo kanye noshintsho kwezobuchwepheshe kusukela kuyisigamu sokugcina sekhulu leminyaka engama-20. Lezi zinguquko ziholele ekwandisweni okuphawulekayo kwemisebenzi kanye nezibopho okumele othishanhloko ezikolweni bayifeze. Ngaphandle kwalezinguquko, akukaze kwabakhona uhlelo lokuqeqesha olunzulu olulungiselela othishanhloko abasanda kuthola izikhundla ezintsha kulomsebenzi onzima wokuhola eZimbabwe. Isifundo sizohlola sibheke imibono yamadlelandawonye mayelana neZinhlelo Zokuthuthukisa Ukuphatha kwalabothishanhloko bezikole zamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza. Isifundo sizosebenzisa ucwaningo lwesifundo esichazayo olwakhelwe phezulu kocwaningo lokuklama oluphathelene nesimo. Kuye kwakhethwa abantu abangamashumi amabili nesishiyagalombili (28) kodwa babe ngamashumi amabili nesikhombisa (27) kuphela abaye babamba iqhaza. Abantu ababambe iqhaza behlise obekuhloswe ngalabothishanhloko abahlanu (5) bezikole zamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza, othishanhloko abahlanu (5) asebekhona kulo mkhakha emabangeni aphezulu, amaphini kathishanhloko yesikole amane (4), othisha abasezingeni lokuphatha ngokwesikhathi asebe sisebenzile abaqokwe ezikolweni zamabanga aphezulu abayishumi (10) abakhethwe ezikolweni zamabanga aphezulu kuyisifunda sakwaZaka. Abahloli bezikole abathathu ababuya kuyisifunda somnyango wezemfundo kuso isifunda sakwaZaka nabo babamba iqhaza. Abantu ababambe iqhaza basampulwe ngenhloso ethile lapho kusetshenziswe indlela ephezulu yokuhluka kwesampuli ukuze kuphendulwe ngokuhluka ngokwezigaba zabo zemfundo. Izinhlolokhono ezihleliwe zomuntu ngamunye ziye zasetshenziswa ukuqoqa ulwazi kothishanhloko bezikole bamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza, othishanhloko asebekhona kulo mkhakha emabangeni aphezulu kanye nabahloli bezikole kwase kuthi izinhlolokhono zamaqembu zasetshenziselwa ukuqoqa ulwazi kumaphini onhloko bezikole nakothisha abasezingeni lokuphatha ngokwesikhathi asebe sisebenzile abaqokwe ezikolweni zamabanga aphezulu. Kuye kwabuyekezwa imibhalo yamaphepha efanele efana namasekhula amemezela izikhala zomsebenzi, iKhomishani Yomsebenzi Womphakathi yokuqeqeshwa nenqubomgomo yokuthuthukiswa kanye nenqubomgomo yamasekhula asuka kuNgqongqoshe weMfundo yamabanga Aphansi nawaPhezulu. Kuye kwatholakala ukuthi kunesidingo sezinhlelo zokuthuthukisa ukuphatha ezizohlomisa othishanhloko abasandukunyuselwa kulezi zikhundla ngamakhono afanele ezobuchwepheshe anamandla azobasiza ukuba babengabaholi abaqotho ezikolweni. Isifundo siye sathola ukuthi othishanhloko bezikole bamabanga aphezulu abasafufuza badinga ulwazi namakhono ngokuphathwa kwezimali, ubuholi obuqotho bokufundisa, ukuphathwa kwamabhuku jikelele, Ulwazi Lwezobuchwepheshe Kwezokuxhumana (ICT), okuphathelene nengqubomgomo, ukuphathwa kwabantu, ubudlelwano nomphakathi, kanye nokuphathwa kwemibhalo nempahla.
Peakanyo ya thuto go la Zimbabwe e itemogetše dimpshafatšo tša thuto le diphetogo tša theknolotši tše di fapanego go tloga nakong ya seripagare sa mafelelo sa ngwagakgolo wa bo20. Diphetogo tše di hlotše koketšo ye kgolo ya ditshwanelo le boikarabelo tšeo dihlogo tša dikolo di letelwago go di phethagatša dikolong. Ka ntle ga diphetogo tše, go bile le lenaneo la tlhahlo leo le feleletšego leo le diretšwego go beakanyetša dihlogo tša dikolo tše mpsha tšeo di sa tšogo godišwa go tlo lebana le modiro wo o tšhošago wa boetapele bja dikolo ka Zimbabwe. Thutelo e nyaka go hlahloba dikgopolo tša batho bao ba nago le dikgahlego malebana le mananeo a tlhabollo ya bolaodi (diMDP) a dihlogo tša dikolo tša sekontari tše di thomago (diBSSH). Thutelo e latetše mokgwatebelelo wa ditlhalošo wa nyakišišo ye e dirilwego ka ga tiragalo wo o theilwego go tlhako ya nyakišišo ka go utolla mokgwa wa bophelo bja setšhaba se itšeng. Palomoka ya batšeakarolo ba 28 e kgethilwe pele go thutelo eupša ba 27 ba tšere karolo. Batšeakarolo e be e le diBSSH tše tlhano, dihlogo tša dikolo tša sekontari tše tlhano tšeo di lego modirong, bathušahlogo ba bane le barutišibagolo ba 10 bao ba tšerwego dikolong tša sekontari tšeo di kgethilwego seleteng sa Zaka. Bahlahlobi ba dikolo ba bararo go tšwa ofising ya selete ya thuto ka seleteng sa Zaka le bona ba tšere karolo. Batšeakarolo ba kgethilwe ka maikemišetšo bjalo ka disampolo ka go diriša mokgwatebelelo wa maksimamo wa go tšea disampolo ka go fapana go hlaloša lebaka la diphapang ka go magoro a bona a diprofešene. Ditherišano tša motho a nnoši tša dipotšišo tšeo di sa latelego lenaneo leo le itšeng di dirišitšwe go kgoboketša datha go tšwa go diBSSH, dihlogo tša dikolo tša sekontari tšeo di lego mošomong le bahlahlobi ba dikolo, mola ditherišano tša dihlopha tšeo di nepišitšwego di dirišitšwe go kgoboketša datha ye e hweditšwego go batlatšadihlogo le barutišibagolo. Tekolo ya methopo ya maleba ya kanegelo ya ditiragalo go swana le mangwalophatlalatšwa, molaotshepetšo wa tlhahlo le tlhabollo wa Khomišene ya Mešomo ya Mmušo (CSC) le mangwalophatlalatšwa a melaotshepetšo go tšwa go Kgoro ya tona ya Thuto ya Praemari le Sekontari (MoPSE) le yona e phathagaditšwe. Dikhwetšo di šupile gore go bile le tlhokego ya lenaneo la tlhabollo ya bolaodi leo le tlo fago dihlogo tše mpsha tšeo di sa tšwago go godišwa mabokgoni le botsebi tša sethekniki tša maleba tšeo di tlo ba kgontšhago go phethagatša boetapele bjo bo kwagalago bja dikolong. Thutelo e utollotše gore diBSSH di be di nyaka tsebo le mabokgoni tšeo di nyakegago go bolaodi bja matšeleng, boetapele go tša dithuto,
Educational Leadership and Management
D. Phil. (Education Management)

. This investigation focuses on the leadership role of the principal in managing and supporting curriculum change in South African schools. The results reveal that principals are required to initiate change and to lead the curriculum change process in schools. Principals are expected to monitor, manage and evaluate the implementation of OBE in their schools. They also need to provide ongoing support to colleagues and are further required to acquire and employ skills, qualities, characteristics and a management style that is suitable for the OBE leader. This investigation recommends that for principals to manage and support curriculum change effectively in South African schools: • Principals are in need of more training and ongoing support • Commitment and support to the outcomes based curriculum is called for • Skills and qualities, for effective leadership, needs to be acquired and employed • A strategy to manage, monitor, support and evaluate curriculum implementation in the school is needed.
Educational Leadership and Management
M.Ed. (Educational Management)

It is challenging for central authorities to change the nature of teaching and learning despite great efforts to do so through both command and commitment-style approaches, as well as through recent reforms aimed at teacher quality. Capacity-building initiatives, particularly those that engage educators in structured collaboration within and across schools, hold promise for school improvement. These approaches engage educators to develop contextualized solutions to the specific obstacles facing their students. However, without certain conditions in place, particularly a strong professional community that prioritizes continuous improvement, collaborative activities are unlikely to yield positive outcomes, and instead produce variable results based on schools’ capacity pre-intervention. This dissertation explores New York City’s attempt to build schools’ capacity for improvement through the Learning Partners Program (LPP), a program developed under the Chancellor Fariña administration in 2014. LPP combines interschool collaboration, inquiry, teacher leadership, and teaming, thus providing an opportunity to explore how a district can foster the prerequisite conditions necessary for school improvement. Drawing on qualitative data from 3 years of implementation, I provide a detailed portrait of the elements of the program in practice, and describe the processes and conditions that allowed some schools in the program to implement coordinated changes that moved them towards their improvement goals. These descriptions can provide lessons to other districts interested in taking on similar “learning organization” reforms, or reforms that generally aim to shift the teaching profession towards one that fosters self-examination and continuous improvement.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2011
The functioning of the school within the new education dispensation has brought about radical changes in the management of schools where the formation of school management teams (SMTs) became a necessity in order to assist principals in the day to day management of schools so that effective, proper management can be applied. The introduction of the New Management System compelled the heads of institutions and all other relevant stakeholders to undergo comprehensive management training in order to contribute towards the management of schools. However, very little has been done to evaluate the perceptions of people who have to implement the new management system as to whether it is working or not. This study was aimed at finding out the perceptions of the School Management Teams (SMTs) and School Principals towards the effectiveness of the new management system within the Malamulele West Circuit of the Limpopo Province. The study also intended to explore the gap existing between schools management policy and the way it is understood and implemented by the School Management Teams in schools. The study utilized a questionnaire as an instrument of collecting data. Interviews were arranged with the respondents and they were interviewed following the standardized questionnaire. The findings show that School Management Teams did not feel effective in managing schools using the new management system. The SMTs did not have confidence in implementing the strategic management plans and practicing management effectively. The School Management Teams recommended amongst others, that they be sent for training. They envisaged that training programmes would assist School Management Teams in developing the competencies they need to perform their best in their current jobs. The study has also revealed that both School Management Teams and School \principals feel that they are not properly trained in management skills.

The following report is an investigation of growth strategies for charter management organizations. The report begins with an overview of the School Choice Movement and its introduction of market forces into the public education system. Drawing from the private, nonprofit and education sectors, the report introduces three existing frameworks for organizational growth and new market entry. The report evaluates the robustness of each of these frameworks as well as their applicability to charter school expansion through the lens of a case-study investigation of IDEA Public Schools’ expansion from the Rio Grande Valley to the Austin, Texas education market. The report concludes by introducing a new, cross-sector framework for charter expansion that brings together the strengths of existing models as well as the lessons learned from the IDEA case. The framework consists of four phases: pre-expansion, geographic market selection, growth mechanism selection and implementation.
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