Showing papers in "Educational Management & Administration in 1982"

Micropolitics of Educational Organisations

Abstract: operate, there remains the fundamental assumption that if plans are well-conceived, clearly set out, and adequately communicated, then systems can be improved. Yet everyone working in organisations is all too well aware of their often idiosyncratic, adventitious, unpredictable and intractable nature when every day brings a new organisational &dquo;pathology&dquo; to disrupt well laid plans. This uncertainty occurs at the highest levels of policy-making and implementation. In his much cited work on the Cuban missile crisis Allison (1971) showed that what had been interpreted as the outcome of carefully-considered and rationally-enacted policies could be viewed as the result of actors within a highly uncertain situation bargaining within their own camps as well as across national boundaries. In an interview, Zbegniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s adviser on national security stated: &dquo;My overwhelming observation from the experience of the last four years is that history is neither the product of design nor of conspiracy, but is rather the reflection of continuing chaos. Seen from the outside, decisions may often seem clear and consciously formulated ... but one learns that so much of what happens ... is the product of chaotic conditions and a great deal of personal struggle and ambiguity&dquo; (Urban, 1981). Policymakers and administrators in the less lethal field of education will recognise the aleatory dimension of the institution described by Kogan (1975) as &dquo;pluralistic, I incremental, -unsystematic and reactive&dquo; as they attempt to improve the service in conditions which appear to be perennially turbulent. Evidence of the quirky and idiosyncratic nature-of social institutions could lead one into a consideration of fundamental questions about the nature of the social sciences. However, this path will not be taken in this paper. The question to be

Professional Development Provision for Senior Staff in Schools and Colleges

Abstract: (1) to obtain systematic information concerning provision from LEAs and from a wide range of providing institutions; (2) by way of visits to LEAs and institutions, to obtain a further understanding of selected courses and other activities beyond what could be obtained from questionnaire returns and course materials, having regard to structure, course content, the methods of learning adopted and, as far as possible, the views of

The Micropolitics of Education: Issues for Training

Abstract: contract be drawn up for all participants &dquo;identifying the agreed objectives and content of the activity and the number and length of sessions ...&dquo; (Davies, 1981). There were also some cases in which teacher and lecturer expectations differed about the style of proposed activities, resulting occasionally in &dquo;solutions&dquo; being offered before a thorough analysis had occurred of how the problem manifested itself in the particular school. Thus in one case a lecturer was persuaded to give a demonstration lesson even though he clearly expressed the view that wider contextual matters should be discussed first. In another case the lecturer appeared to be regarded with some awe no doubt based in part upon experiences of assessed teaching practice in college and the teachers needed some sympathetic encouragement to be open about their particular needs. It is suggested that gaining consensus and support for action involves political processes but the extent to which participants engage in them, or are aware of

The Question of Legitixnation: A Response to Eric Hoyle

Abstract: There are, for example, several interesting anthropological studies of micropolitics in the community (Boissevain, 1974), and F. G. Bailey (1977) demonstrates the analytical value of anthropological concepts in his study of universities. Baldridge (1971) proposes a new political paradigm which might be seen as a direct if rather naive attempt to place micropolitics at the centre of organisational studies. . And yet I believe Professor Hoyle is right, from the perspective of this Conference and this Society, to conduct his review from a firm baseline within the established intellectual traditions and theories of organisations. It will not serve our best interests to move off at a tangent abandoning previous work. ’

Editorial: Enter Micropolitics

Abstract: This issue is devoted entirely to papers presented to the Society’s Tenth Annual ’ Conference, held from 18-20 September 1981 in the University of Bristol on &dquo;The Politics of Educational Improvement&dquo;. This title served us well in getting the discussion under way but by dinner-time on the first day the original title had already been forgotten, almost. Micropolitics was now the name of the game. But the enabling of educational improvement or, more modestly, the removal of organisational features which impede such improvement has been the central concern of enlightened educational administrators ever since the first Privy Council grants for public education were made early in the nineteenth century. The Society’s aims, established at its foundation meeting a decade ago, are entirely within this tradition, in particular &dquo;to provide a forum for the discussion of rtew approaches to the preparation and development of administrators and new developments in research and to link theory and practice ...&dquo;. But 10 years ago, when our principal concern in this country was with local government reorganisation, we were approaching the problem as primarily one of designing structures for the achievement of specified purposes. The setting of objectives seems to have been regarded by commentators

The Politics of Improvement in Schools

Abstract: Despite the debates of the last four or five years about where power should lie in our devolved education system, the evidence of experience, theory, and research overwhelmingly points to the school as the institution in England and Wales that has in its control the potency to improve the quality of education. We are looking more than ever to in-school evaluation, school-based in-service training, and schoolbased curriculum development (cf., e.g. Shipman, 1979; Bolam, 1981; Eggleston, 1980). Paradoxically, the centralist tendencies post-Ruskin seem to place more rather than less emphasis on the decisions to be made in schools, demand far more in-school review, create a greater number of in-school decisions, and involve far more in-school collaboration. Teaching can be seen from this point of view as a professional lifetime devoted

The Micropolitics of the Management of Non-Teaching Staff:

Abstract: and if the head, either consciously or unconsciously, is de facto controlling the dissemination of INSET intelligence, the involvement of staff in INSET and the way in which INSET is used, according to arbitrary criteria then INSET is not being used effectively. The whole process becomes susceptible to individual bargaining strategies and subjective assessments. It is not enough to recommend .ambitious plans for. implementing school-focused INSET programmes. The roles of the protagonists must be more clearly defined and the head should be prepared to accept a change in an area of responsibility for which he is not necessarily trained, and in which he can never be omniscient. ’

Survey Feedback as an Organisation Development Intervention in Educational Settings: a Review:

Abstract: One can trace the development of organisation development (OD) back to the social psychological writings of Kurt Lewin (1947) and the beginnings of the National Training Laboratory (NTL) in the immediate post-war period. From the early experimentation with group dynamics, through the emergence of T-groups, McGregor’s work with Union Carbide in 1957 (McGregor, 1960), and the ESSO experiment in the late 1950s, OD began to develop a distinctive character, with an attendant technology and philosophy. Since that time OD has continued to mature, with the establishment in 1964 of the OD network of the NTL, and in 1968 of an OD Division of the American Society of Training and Development. This was followed in 1971 by an OD Division of the Academy of Management. It was estimated by French et al. (1978) that by the early 1970s these groups had a collective

Head of Department — Dictator or Democrat?

Abstract: comprehensive school depends to a very great degree on the understanding of their jobs by the heads of department. Since then relatively little research appears to have been undertaken to discover how heads of department view their jobs. Dunham (1978) stated that the change in the role of departmental heads in comprehensive schools is an important area for current investigation and Lambert (1975) argued that heads of department are far from agreed amongst themselves as to what are the role functions of their office.

Falling Rolls in the Maintained Secondary School: Towards a Model for Management

Abstract: Fluctuating school rolls with a general tendency to fall and a corresponding drop in teacher numbers are with us in Britain and in many other parts of the &dquo;developed&dquo; world for some time to come and their effects in the maintained secondary schools will shortly increase. Table 1 shows what will happen to the school populations in the five East Midland counties between now and 1990. These include both urban

The GRIDS Project

Abstract: In recent years there has been a cutback in resources for education, a decline in pupil enrolment and an increasing public demand for greater accountability on the part of the schools. At the same time, and partly in consequence, there has been a growing interest in school self-evaluation schemes. The widely held assumption is that teachers engaging in an exercise of this nature will not only improve their own practice and professionalism but will also enhance the health of the institution. One indication of this interest has been the publication of numerous check-lists and guidelines for teacher and school self evaluation, the majority of which emanate from local education authorities. In his survey of LEA schemes for self evaluation, Elliott (1980), identified 69 LEAs which were in the process of drawing up self-evaluation schemes, 21 of whom had already published guideline documents.

Participation in School Organisation

Abstract: Good management in organisations is determined by many considerations but not least by widely held and deeply felt values in the community at large. Participation has become a word which reflects such values about people at work in organisations (IDE Group, 1981a, 1981b). In teaching, the participation trend has appeared as &dquo;sharing&dquo;, &dquo;power-sharing&dquo;, &dquo;involvement&dquo; and by the use of similar words (Harling, 1981, pp. 75-6). The participative organisation is clearly the ideal held up to the profession (Department of Education and Science, 1977b). The subject has embraced such key issues as the rights, obligations and tenure of headship, teacher-accountability, pupil power, parental rights and involvement in school life, and the standing functions and composition of governing bodies. Participation has surfaced in the form of deliberative and consultative reports (Department of Education and Science, 1977a; Department of Trade, 1977) arid has been given legislative expression in the 1980 Education Act.

Training Needs of Primary Headteachers

Abstract: Together with many of my colleagues in primary school headships in various parts of England and Wales, I have for some time been concerned at the lack of preparation given to those people aspiring to management positions within schools. I have been even more concerned at the almost complete absence of induction and ongoing management training given to those headteachers already in charge of schools. Management courses are often available but are usually oversubscribed and do not always reflect the demands of headteachers. Help is usually available from the LEA Inspectorate on a one to one basis, but as inspectors’ time is at a premium this help is often only called for at times of crisis. Headteachers are appointed in the first instance primarily for their abilities as classroom teachers it is for this reason that they have usually risen up the &dquo;promotion ladder&dquo;, not usually because of their leadership potential. Although it would be wrong to look for headteachers who have not been successful in the classroom, headship does call for an entirely different set of skills and many heads are not prepared for this difference. Certainly at primary level, unless they have been very lucky as deputy-heads they will have had little or no administrative and managerial experience other than at classroom level. Eighteen months ago I began work on a study to provide data with which course organisers in my own authority, Kent, would be able to determine areas in which to concentrate limited resources. This study drew on the perceived needs of headteachers themselves.

School Reviews: A New Zealand Experience

Abstract: The last 10 years have seen the emergence in OECD countries and in the United States of a new model of school improvement. The model is variously called &dquo;inschool evaluation&dquo; (Shipman, 1979) &dquo;school development&dquo; (Prebble and Stewart, 1981) or &dquo;in-school reviews&dquo;. Under such a model, school staff themselves, rather than an external evaluator, are responsible for deciding what is to be evaluated, how it is to be evaluated and whether or not any changes are to be made as a

Planning Academic Structures for Educational Administration

Abstract: The focus of this discussion is on the implications of the structure of educational administration as an academic field for the educational process itself and for its relationship to social processes generally. In some ways the United States already has a well-developed field of educational administration; such is not the case for Britain where the subject remains embryonic. Thus we in Britain have an opportunity to choose between alternative plans and it is appropriate, therefore, that some consideration is given to what may constitute alternatives. American experi-

The Distribution of Capitation Allowances in Secondary Schools

Abstract: tried methods based upon historical precedent. Rarely, if ever, is there employed any logical method which attempts to base allocations upon specific and tangible criteria and which is seen to be fair to the majority of the staff in a school. One of the major problems with allocating particular sums of money to individual subject areas is that to some people the relative allocations of money represent the value particular individuals attach to these areas. The more prestigious the subject is perceived the more money it is allowed. What is necessary is to devise a method of allocating capitation monies in such a way that it represents the cost for conducting that subject in the school. At Holsworthy School we have designed a system which has now been in operation for three years. This system relies upon arriving at the allocation of money from the school’s capitation allowance using a formula based upon subject/pupil contact time and estimated subject costs. Negotiations with faculty/department and subject teachers do not involve discussions about particular sums of money which can be emotive, but rather involve discussions on the relationships between the running costs of the various subject areas, as the calculation of subject/pupil contact time is purely objective and indisputable once the curricular organisation has been established for a particular year.

The Political Determinants of Curriculum Development

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to emphasise the point that curriculum development in schools is determined as much by political considerations as by purely educational principles. Such a reminder might make class teachers more effective in presenting their views towards the initiators of education policy. The experience of the Sheffield History Curriculum Group (SHCG) in encouraging a number of innovatory projects provides the fieldwork data linked to specific developments in schools. One of the fundamental problems in trying to design an appropriate curriculum is that there is often only limited agreement on what should be covered.

Micropolitics, Industrial Relations and the School

Abstract: that this analysis can at best be of no more than a passing academic interest? That there were unusual features, the relationship between the LEA and the tutor, and the head’s chosen style of management, cannot be denied. Perhaps the only useful generalisation is that for successful change to take place it is necessary to recognise the political strengths and weaknesses of one’s actual position and to work with the opportunities and within the constraints these present. It is a luxury to be left

Staff Development in Primary Schools: A Survey of Views and Practice in Nine Schools:

Abstract: The concept of systematic staff development was virtually unknown in English education until the early 1970s. Early signs of interest were seen in 1973 (BEAS, 1973; Bristol University, 1973) but since then curiosity has evolved slowly and somewhat obliquely. In the mid-1970s much energy was devoted to discovering and meeting the induction needs of young teachers (Bolam and Baker, 1975; McCabe, 1978) and some local education authorities surveyed the professional needs of all their serving teachers under the benign influence of the James Report (e.g. Milroy, 1975) but the more specific notion of staff development did not be-

The Politics of Improvement in Public Sector Higher Education

Abstract: which bear upon its objectives describe not only the legal and fiscal ties between the institution and those to which it must relate, but also constitute a guide to the political processes that may need to be engaged in by representatives of an institution to secure particular goals. The process of achieving improvements involves interaction between numerous bodies or agencies and the polytechnics and colleges. The nature of the processes are almost infinitely variable but notwithstanding this there exist both prescribed and conventional processes which, because they are inherently political, allow for declared objectives to be changed or even cancelled. Some of these processes have the force of law, others do not and can, therefore, be ignored. The context in which improvement is sought will affect the nature and extent of the political processes involved. The pressures resulting from, for example, an expanding situation rather than a contracting one create different climates for political activity. The present Government seeks to influence the nature of the curriculum of higher education and at the same time wishes to limit expenditure thereon. These policies

Politics, Ecology and Drift: Change in Teacher Education:

Abstract: Change in educational systems is a highly complex yet barely understood phenom enon ; and this is particularly true of teacher training institutions (TTIs). My central argument is that the complexity of change is a function of the political and ecological environments in which educational change occurs. Unfortunately contemporary attempts to conceptualise educational change have in the main failed to take account of the culture within which educational institutions are em bedded and within which their members act. This myopia has led to models and characterisations of change that bear little relationship to empirical reality. There is consequently a need for theories of educational change which take into account the ecological and political environments in which change takes place, and which also reflect the reality of those involved in the change process itself. In short, there is a need for theories of change which are applicable to and within situations. Drift is the name given to one such theory: and ...

School-Focused INSET Provision by Colleges: The SITE Project

Abstract: Dingwall, R. and McIntosh, J. (1978) Readings in the Sociology of Nursing. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Douglas, J. D. (1976) Investigative Social Research. London: Sage. Ferguson, S. (1971) The School Technician and his Status Dilemma: an Aspect of the School as a Social Organization, part requirement MEd (unpublished). University of Bristol. Greenfield, T. B. (1980) \"Research in Educational Administration in the United States and Canada, an overview and a critique\", Educational Administration, 8, 1, 207-45. Manson, T. (1977) \"Management, the Professions and the Unions: a social analysis of change in the National Health Service\", Stacy, M. (ed.) Health and the Division of Labour. London: Croom Helm.

School Politics in Europe: Exchange Bargaining or Professional Partnership?

Abstract: terms (essentially selfish: Blau, 1964) or in professional terms (essentially unselfish: Cogan, 1953; Langford, 1978). At political levels teachers operate in overt exchange bargaining modes, so that it is reasonable that parental interest groups should do so also. Overt exchange bargaining at political levels need not prevent professional partnership between parents and teachers at the personal level. Political levels are those where the focuses of authority are national or local governments. The personal level is that which relates to the educational experience of the individual child, and authority is shared between parents and teachers. Between these is the participatory level; here the focus of authority is the school principal. Actions associated with levels of relationship between parents and teachers may be summarised as follows in Table 1. ’

Assessment of Departmental Performance in Examinations

Abstract: It is the agreed opinion of the members of the biology department at Ruffwood School that it is part of our.professional responsibility to attempt clinically to analyse and assess our own performance. We hold this to be true for two reasons. Firstly, we consider it our duty, in view of the increasing amount of public interest in the performance of schools, to be able to present data on the performance of our department. Secondly, since we naturally wish to be as effective a teaching unit as possible, we must assay the quality of our product in order to determine whether changes in methodology are required. I

The Politics of Bargaining Relationships During Burnham Negotiations

Abstract: outcome (Kahn-Freund, 1979). (2) The Burnham Committee (primary and secondary) is a goldmine for political analysis; both sides teachers’ and management panels represent separately organised groups with their own internal politics. Since representation is determined by the Secretary of State rivalry exists even before negotiations can commence. There are many examples of pressures to secure affiliation (or disaffiliation) and

Abrupt Contraction and Disrupted Relationships: A Case Study of Liverpool and the "Capping of the AFE Pool"

Abstract: Abrahamsson, B. (1977) Bureaucracy or Participation: The Logic of Organisation. Sage. Astin Report (1979) Report of the Working Party on the Management of Schools in Northern Ireland. Department of Education for Northern Ireland, HMSO. Baron, G. (ed.) (1981) The Politics of School Government. Pergamon. Baron, G. and Howell, D. A. (1974) The Government and Management of Schools. Athlone Press. Blau, P. M. (1964) Exchange and Power in Social Life. Wiley. ,

The Politics of Establishing an Innovatory Management Role

Abstract: Tutor&dquo;. She was to supervise the progress of the probationers, liaise with middle management and be directly accountable to the head. This paper concentrates on the micro-political processes by which the innovation was initiated, implemented and finally institutionalised. The case-study from which this analysis is drawn was based on data collected between January 1975 and October 1976 (Ballinger, 1980). The role itself was innovatory in being not only new to the school but also in concept and scope new to the LEA. Avon’s sponsorship of the establishment of a designated post, &dquo;Professional Tutor&dquo; provided the context within which the internal school negotiations before and during the implementation of the change occurred. The account which follows is written from the perspective of the tutor, cross referenced where possible by the opinions and perceptions of the other participants as communicated to her.