Decentralisation and autonomy

Question 1

Self-Managing school

Caldwell & Spinks 1988

Answer 1

Decentralisation of a significant amount of authority and responsibility to make decisions about the allocation of resources within a centrally determined framework of goals, policies, standards and accountabilities.

Question 2

Levacic 1995 refers to 5 domains to analyse decision making

Answer 2

1. School organisation - structure, capacity class size
2. Curriculum - content, hours, guidelines, methods, assessment
3. Staff - regulation on qualifications, appointment, dismissal, appraisal, pay
4. financial and resource management - spending decisions, premises, information systems
5. external relations - admission policies, relationships with other organisations

Question 3

2016
Discuss how different levels of decision-making (e.g. government, regional, district, federation, school/college and department) affect education. Use two distinct examples to explore the implications for the educational practitioner working at the school or college level.

Answer 3

Levacic 1995

Government - curriculum change
Hierarchical
Adaptive approach

and

Learning Walks  
Participative leadership
and 
Distributive leadership
Collegiality

Question 4

Reasons for accountability

Answer 4

economic competitiveness
financial stringency
equity of opportunity

Question 5

Four dimensions of accountability

Answer 5

1. Political - accountable to government - funding or meeting economic development goals, social progress
2. Market - customers, stakeholders
3. Professional - highest possible standards expected of professionals
4. Cultural - to foster new insights, knowledge and understanding. Foster change in society.

Question 6

Against bureaucratic

Answer 6

Decisions made at a local level along with parents and the local community are more likely to be effective and bring about improvement than those made at a distance by bureaucratic government department.

Question 7

Bureaucracy (Hierarchy) Governance Woods 2003

Answer 7

• Direction set through a hierarchical ordered system of organisations, posts and rules.
• Steering from a distance

UAE - KHDA has hierarchical control through inspections, enforced publication of results, curriculum,

Question 8

Efficiency

Levin 1990

Answer 8

1. Productive efficiency- relationship between outputs produced and cost of inputs
   (maximum educational output with given resources)
2. Allocative efficiency
   accounts of consumers valuation of good and services