Managing change - how educational leaders manage transformational change within a framework of control and constraints

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:There are many new developments in the field of schooling. Some of thesedevelopments - school based management, new curriculum developments anddevolution of control to the school level have brought with it policy changes.Many educational leaders are struggling to keep pace with these changes thatare taking place in the management of education. Others are struggling againstthe changes, while possibly not fully understanding the dynamics of thesechanges.In a time of rapid political and social change, the need for spelling out theconcomitants of educational leadership has become both necessary andessential. Planned quality intervention by the state has completelyunderestimated the lack of managerial competencies among educationalleaders. Quality in leadership is not a luxury item in educationaltransformation, changes in leadership are in fact central to instilling thedemocratic values and principles which underpin the new educational policies.There must also be a comprehensive strategy which addresses educationalleadership as a school-wide intervention. There needs to be a more coordinatedeffort between provincial education departments and schools to bringtheir collective resources to bear on school quality change; but the processmust be prioritised and co-ordinated by the state.This assignment seeks to establish what challenges and constraints educationalleaders face in their attempts to effect transformation in South Africa. It detailsthe daily strategies and plans used by educational leaders as they go aboutrunning their schools. Strategic opportunities in the policy field should beharnessed to drive education quality improvements. It is vital to link in-servicedevelopment to policy implementation.Ultimately the monitoring and evaluation system in place must track the impactof the changes more carefully. This would allow departments to define futurepoiicies and programmes based on informed choices about which qualityinterventions make a difference. This is critical since the evidence shows thatmost changes have not always resulted in the planned leadershipimprovements. There is no reason for this trend to continue as this researchshows that many schools have considerable advantages working in theirfavour: a relatively stable schooling infrastructure, a growing corps of qualifiededucational leaders and a policy environment in which there is optimism aboutchange and transformation in the school sector.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University