- Title
- School based management and the operational effectiveness of school councils in Victoria and New South Wales: a comparative study
- Creator
- Ible, Wayne
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2007
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The world of public school education systems is currently experiencing a reform phenomenon in which almost exclusively, the focus of reform is to create decentralized models of school governance described as school-based management (SBM). Issues such as the challenges of the global knowledge economy are fuelling the focus on SBM as a means of providing educational opportunities essential for the nations to remain competitive. An important component of SBM is the school council or board which is the vehicle for shared governance. Since the 1970's, Australia has become a world leader in the introduction of SBM. In particular, the initiatives by the state of Victoria played a lead role while continuing to refine and fine-tune its SBM focus as the key principle underpinning development of its large public education system. New South Wales (NSW) attempted to introduce SBM in the early 1970's and on several occasions since but was unsuccessful until 1990. The model of SBM, its introduction and political commitments have differed between NSW and Victoria. This study compared the effectiveness of school councils in each state as an indicator of the effectivemess of SBM. The research was conducted in 2006 using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies comprising of an empirical survey with a sample of 100 Victorian and 150 NSW schools ans semi-structured interviews with 41 participants belonging to all categories of stakeholders as well as documentary analyses. Data generated from the two phases of the research correlated strongly and identified a number of important issues. Most principals see school councils as supportive of their role but ironically, the effectiveness of a school council is dependent on the knowledge, skills and commitment of the principal. School councils in Victoria are significantly more effective when compared to NSW, however, the data indicated that the role of school councils can and should be broadened and strengthened in both states. Although at the schools where school councils have been established in NSW there is general support of the concept, there is confusion about the place and future of school councils especially in view of the luke-warm support they receive from the NSW bureaucracy.
- Subject
- public school; education systems; school-based management
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1311028
- Identifier
- uon:22143
- Rights
- Copyright 2007 Wayne Ible
- Language
- eng
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