Magister Educationis - MEd / A larger number of schools in Lesotho are owned and controlled by churches whereas the government pays teachers’ salaries and provides school facilities through the national budget. It is through this partnership that the Lesotho government and the churches have a strong link that characterises the Lesotho school management system. However, there have been some major shifts taking place in the education sector of Lesotho that are affecting the way schools are organised, managed and governed. The BCP government considered to revise all the education bills which resulted in the enactment of the LEA of 1995. The LEA of 1995 vested the responsibility of the management of primary schools on democratically elected committees. The study investigated the working relationships between principals and chairpersons of school management committees (SMCs) of selected church primary schools in Lesotho. The focus of the study was to analyse the working relationships between principals and chairpersons of the SMCs towards their roles and responsibilities as set out in the LEA of 1995. The study was approached from the capability approach. The core of the capability approach is to evaluate the achievement of a society by paying attention to what its members are able to be and to do. One of the roles of the SMCs is to allocate resources in schools by recommending for the appointment of teachers. Therefore, the study utilised the capability approach in order to explore the freedoms that principals have towards choosing resources that they want for schools. The study adopted the qualitative research approach. Data was collected through three qualitative research instruments namely, semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. The interviews were conducted for 16 participants who comprised the chairpersons of the two SMCs (RCC and LEC), principals’ representatives, teachers’ representatives and principals who were non-members of the SMCs. The purpose of the observations was to observe the physical environments, the behaviours of schools as well as the general availability of resources. Document analysis was done in order to draw on the conclusions of the contents of the SMCs’ records of minutes, schools’ financial reports and progress reports. The researcher used different methods of data collection in order to find answers to the research questions and also to achieve the aims of the study. The researcher used both constant comparative method and content analysis to analyse data. The data was analysed and interpreted against the views of the participants and literature review. The study confirmed that in both of the SMCs, most of the principals generally had satisfactory working relationships with the chairpersons. The findings of this study revealed that even though the SMCs perform their roles and responsibilities as set out in the LEA of 1995, there are some broad challenges that church schools face that emanate from the social conversion factors such as social norms, culture and practices within church schools, and environmental conversion factors like geographical locations. The findings further revealed that lack of adequate resources such as classrooms and teachers hampered the teachers’ capability to deliver instruction in a normal way because they had to teach multi-grades. These were found to be the challenges that affected the principals’ freedoms and capabilities to use and convert resources into achievement. Furthermore, the study exposed fair decision-making regarding resource allocation by the SMCs. Principal were free to use school funds as long as they submit the financial reports to the SMCs at the end of the year. However, the conclusion drawn from document analysis showed that not all the schools under study submitted financial reports. The findings reflect that there are no transparent guarantees in some of the school regarding the control and use of school funds. The findings of this study have some implications and recommendations to the Ministry of Education and training, church schools, teachers and principals who wish to work in church schools. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and Training should reconsider the representation of one principal for six schools in the SMCs by establishing the school management system that calls for one school management committee per school. The Ministry of Education and Training in partnership with churches should make efforts to delineate the appropriate roles of churches in the provision of education with regard to the local hiring system whereby the SMCs select teachers to be appointed in their schools. Teachers should be transferred to the schools where multi-grade teaching is still practised in order to rationalise distribution of teachers in church schools. Principals and teachers should make informed decisions when choosing the schools that they want to work at, especially if it is a church school. They should make sure that the church schools they choose to be appointed to shall serve their beliefs, not only to focus on salaries.

<p>The aim of this paper is to look into the occurrence of home schooling by choice in Sweden. It examines the subject of home education in order to provide an informative overview. It also looks into the legal aspects of the matter to see whether freedom of choice is an issue here when it comes to choosing a certain type of teaching for children of compulsory school age. A further purpose is to provide a comparison of home education in Sweden and in other countries such as the United States, England and Norway.</p><p>In order to do this we have carried out a secondary analysis of previous research and have also interviewed teachers as well as people with experience of home educating their own children. To accomplish this, we had to look to England for literature and home educating families as home education is a much more common practise in England.</p><p>The result of this paper strongly indicates that home schooling is not only a legally viable option to traditional schooling, both in Sweden and the other countries concerned, but that it is also a trend that is expected to increase. This is more than likely due to the modern society of today where freedom of personal choice is increasingly demanded by the general public and where the rule of collective culture and thinking perhaps is becoming a thing of the past.</p>

The aim of this paper is to look into the occurrence of home schooling by choice in Sweden. It examines the subject of home education in order to provide an informative overview. It also looks into the legal aspects of the matter to see whether freedom of choice is an issue here when it comes to choosing a certain type of teaching for children of compulsory school age. A further purpose is to provide a comparison of home education in Sweden and in other countries such as the United States, England and Norway. In order to do this we have carried out a secondary analysis of previous research and have also interviewed teachers as well as people with experience of home educating their own children. To accomplish this, we had to look to England for literature and home educating families as home education is a much more common practise in England. The result of this paper strongly indicates that home schooling is not only a legally viable option to traditional schooling, both in Sweden and the other countries concerned, but that it is also a trend that is expected to increase. This is more than likely due to the modern society of today where freedom of personal choice is increasingly demanded by the general public and where the rule of collective culture and thinking perhaps is becoming a thing of the past.

The transition from an industrial to a global knowledge-based economy has put universities in the spotlight of public policies as the new drivers of innovation and sustained economic growth. Consequently, societal expectations towards the academic community have changed and so has, under the influence of neo-liberal ideas, the public governance of higher education. This is particularly true in federalist systems, such as Germany, Australia and the European Union, where the roles of each government level in governing the higher education sector had to be renegotiated and clarified. In Canada, however, despite repeated recommendations by policymakers, scholars and international organisations, the respective responsibilities have not yet been clarified and, to date, there are still no mechanisms to coordinate the post-secondary education policies of the federal and provincial governments. This paper inquires into the reasons for this exception. In the academic literature, this has generally been explained in terms of Canada’s uniqueness with respect to its federalist system and the decentralized higher education sector. We attempt to go beyond this traditional federalism, state-centered approach, which is predominant in the Canadian higher education literature. Instead, based on interviews and official documents and inspired by the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), we shall be looking at the belief systems of the major actors in the policy process and the degree of coordination among them. Our analysis comes to the conclusion that, on the one hand, proponents of a pan-Canadian approach are divided over their fundamental beliefs regarding the compatibility of inclusiveness and excellence. Some argue that the federal government must legislate common standards to ensure equal opportunities for all Canadians. Others propose a New Governance-inspired approach to create a differentiated and competitive university sector that meets the demands of the global knowledge-based economy more efficiently. On the other hand, even though the provinces differ in their beliefs regarding the equal opportunity versus economic efficiency debate, they share the same strong belief with respect to the role of the federal government. According to this view, post-secondary education is exclusively a provincial responsibility and the role of the federal government is solely to help them ‘fix the problems’. Moreover, contrary to the proponents of more intergovernmental collaboration, the provinces have successfully strengthened the coordination among themselves to block further perceived federal intrusions into provincial jurisdiction. We come to the conclusion that the absence of intergovernmental mechanisms to govern post-secondary education is a consequence of the diverging belief systems and the establishment of formal coordination structures among the provinces to block – as they perceive - further federal intrusions. Also, there is less of a sense of urgency to act compared to, say, health care. Finally, remembering the near-separation of Quebec in 1995, there is very little appetite to reopen the constitutional debates. Therefore, based on our analysis, we argue that contrary to suggestions by some higher education scholars, the establishment of intergovernmental coordinating mechanisms appears unlikely in the near future.

The transition from an industrial to a global knowledge-based economy has put universities in the spotlight of public policies as the new drivers of innovation and sustained economic growth. Consequently, societal expectations towards the academic community have changed and so has, under the influence of neo-liberal ideas, the public governance of higher education. This is particularly true in federalist systems, such as Germany, Australia and the European Union, where the roles of each government level in governing the higher education sector had to be renegotiated and clarified. In Canada, however, despite repeated recommendations by policymakers, scholars and international organisations, the respective responsibilities have not yet been clarified and, to date, there are still no mechanisms to coordinate the post-secondary education policies of the federal and provincial governments. This paper inquires into the reasons for this exception. In the academic literature, this has generally been explained in terms of Canada’s uniqueness with respect to its federalist system and the decentralized higher education sector. We attempt to go beyond this traditional federalism, state-centered approach, which is predominant in the Canadian higher education literature. Instead, based on interviews and official documents and inspired by the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), we shall be looking at the belief systems of the major actors in the policy process and the degree of coordination among them. Our analysis comes to the conclusion that, on the one hand, proponents of a pan-Canadian approach are divided over their fundamental beliefs regarding the compatibility of inclusiveness and excellence. Some argue that the federal government must legislate common standards to ensure equal opportunities for all Canadians. Others propose a New Governance-inspired approach to create a differentiated and competitive university sector that meets the demands of the global knowledge-based economy more efficiently. On the other hand, even though the provinces differ in their beliefs regarding the equal opportunity versus economic efficiency debate, they share the same strong belief with respect to the role of the federal government. According to this view, post-secondary education is exclusively a provincial responsibility and the role of the federal government is solely to help them ‘fix the problems’. Moreover, contrary to the proponents of more intergovernmental collaboration, the provinces have successfully strengthened the coordination among themselves to block further perceived federal intrusions into provincial jurisdiction. We come to the conclusion that the absence of intergovernmental mechanisms to govern post-secondary education is a consequence of the diverging belief systems and the establishment of formal coordination structures among the provinces to block – as they perceive - further federal intrusions. Also, there is less of a sense of urgency to act compared to, say, health care. Finally, remembering the near-separation of Quebec in 1995, there is very little appetite to reopen the constitutional debates. Therefore, based on our analysis, we argue that contrary to suggestions by some higher education scholars, the establishment of intergovernmental coordinating mechanisms appears unlikely in the near future.

Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka lärares medvetenhet om den förändrade skollagen vad avser disciplinära och andra åtgärder och i vilken omfattning de upplever att den påverkar skolmiljön. För att kunna uppnå syftet med studien har tre frågor formulerats: för det första i vilken grad är lärare medvetna om vilka åtgärder som enligt lagen finns att tillgå och för det andra, i vilken omfattning tillämpar lärare de befogenheter de fått genom den nya skollagen? Avslutningsvis ställs frågan om lärare upplever att den nya lagen bidragit till några förändringar i deras handlingsutrymme?  Undersökningen som ligger till grund för uppsatsens resultat baserades på enkäter som besvarades av trettiosex lärare vilka undervisar i grundskolans senare år (7-9). Resultatet av undersökningen visar att lärare har begränsade kunskaper om skollagen vad avser lärarens mandat att vidta disciplinära åtgärder mot elever. Det framkommer också att lärare använder sig av disciplinära åtgärder för att stävja störningar i klassrumsmiljön och att en majoritet inte upplever att förändringen av skollagen har ökat lärarnas handlingsutrymme i klassrummet samtidigt som andra lärare anser att studiemiljön påverkats positivt till följd av lagens införande. Avslutningsvis kan det konstateras att studiens resultat kan förklaras med stöd av Michael Lipsky och hans ”gräsrotsteori”, vad avser skillnader mellan skollagens formuleringar och den praktiska tillämpningen i klassrummet. / The aim of this essay is to examine teachers' awareness in the changing school law with regards to disciplinary and other measures and to what extent they feel that this affects the school environment.  In order to achieve this objective, three main questions are posed: Firstly, to what degree are teachers aware of the measures available under the Act? Secondly, to what extent are teachers applying the powers gained through the new Education Act? Finally, do teachers feel the new law has contributed to any changes in their decision making process? The essay's conclusions are based on research resulting from questionnaires answered by thirty-six teachers who teach in compulsory schools higher grades (7-9). The research shows that, firstly, teachers have a limited knowledge of the Education Act regarding a teacher's authority to take disciplinary action against students. Secondly, it appears teachers are using the disciplinary measures to curb disruptions in the classroom.  Finally, a majority do not feel the changes in the Education Act has led to any increase in flexibility within the decision making process in the classroom, whilst others believe the learning environment has been positively affected as a result of the law's introduction. In conclusion the study's results are supported by Michael Lipsky's ”Street-level Bureaucracy," with regards to the differences between the Education Act's wording and practical application in the classroom.

Denna uppsats undersöker vilken roll två rektorer för gymnasieskolor spelar för hur den nya skollagen tolkas och implementeras. Tidigare forskning kring rektorrollen i Sverige har visat att  kommunaliseringsreformerna under 1990-talet ledde till att styrdokumenterna fick mycket större utrymme för tolkning. I detta läge har kontextuella faktorer blivit allt viktigare för att avgöra hur rektorer förhåller sig till styrdokumenterna.  Begrepp såsom styrmedel, ledarskapsnormer samt personliga normer är relevanta i detta avseende. Utgår man från fallstudiens empiriska material kan det föreslås att de två skolornas profil och organisation har en viktog roll i att avgöra vilka delar av skollagen de respektive rektorerna väljer att fokusera på. De här faktorerna bidrar således till hur rektorer väljer att betrakta sin roll in skollagens genomförande. Fallstudiens resultat diskuteras i ljuset av såväl tidigare forskning som samhällsdebatten kring utbildningsreformerna. På basis av den empiriska materialet resonerar uppsatsen att rektorerna har behållit ett visst mått av tolkningsutrymme vad gäller specifika åtgärder, trots att skollagen ökar statens juridiska makt överlag. Däremot anser rektorer att skollagens tydlighet på många punkter har gjort att rektorer upplever skollagens tolkningsutrymme som relativt begränsat. / This dissertation explores the role of two Swedish upper secondary school principals in the process of interpreting and implementing the Education Act. Previous research around the role of school principals in Sweden has shown that decentralization reforms in the 1990’s has resulted in much broader interpretative frameworks for central steering documents. In this situation contextual factors are important for determining how principals relate to central steering documents. Concepts such as governing tools, leadership style and personal norms are relevant in relation to this process. Based on the empirical material gathered in the case study it is suggested that the profile and internal organization of the two schools in question play an important role in determining which parts of the Act the respective principals choose to focus on. These factors thus help shape how the principal sees his/her role in the implementation of the Act. The results of the case study are discussed in the light of such previous research, as well as a wider political debate around the recent educational reforms. On the basis of the empirical material it is proposed that although the Education Act increases the judicial powers of school principals, principals still retain some independence vis-à-vis the state with regard to the implementation of certain specific measures contained within the Act. Nevertheless, principals express the view that the clarity of the Act on many points has ensured that the degree of free interpretive space experienced by principals with regard to the Act has been relatively small.

The purpose of this study was to identify educators' beliefs indicating the most preferred support for students with disabilities in the general education classroom setting. This study examined professional educators' attitudes regarding four student supports (motivation, accommodations/modifications, academic improvements, and social issues) for students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom. In addition, the goals of this study included public school educators' attitudes toward the aforementioned four areas of support, specifically within three student ethnic groups (Hispanic, African American, and Whites). The final goal of the study was to compare the attitudes of each of the organizational roles (administrators, general education teachers, special education teachers, and others) regarding motivation, accommodations/modifications, academic improvements, and social issues of students with disabilities participating in general education inclusive classrooms. The findings from this research indicate: 1. Educators perceive accommodations/modifications to be the most beneficial support to offer all students with disabilities in the general education inclusive classroom. 2. Educators perceive accommodations/modifications to be the most beneficial support to offer all students with disabilities in the general education inclusive classroom, regardless of ethnic origin. The results of this study reveal no difference in educators' attitudes within the three student ethnic groups. 3. Administrators, general education teachers, and the organizational role of other professionals in the school believe the primary focus for student support in the inclusive classroom should be on incorporating appropriate accommodations/modifications. 4. Special education teachers perceive academic improvements (differentiated instruction) as their first preference of student support for children with disabilities in the inclusive classroom. The overall findings in this study clearly reveal a pattern of educators' preferences regarding the four student supports for students in special education programs. Accommodations/modifications is the first focus of support for educators to implement, followed by academic improvements (differentiated instruction). The pattern continues with educators indicating motivation to be the third student support and social issues to be the fourth preference.

The purpose of our studyis to investigate how the changed Education Act in Malmoe affects the work of school counselor in elementary school and how it further may affect the work. We were also investigating counselors’ views on the politically increasing transparency of student health that comes as a result of the new school organization in Malmoe. To obtain our results, we have chosen to use a qualitative research interview, where we have chosen a semi-structured interview form. We have chosen two theories, Foucault -power and discipline and organizational theory. With the help of our results, we have come to the conclusions that the law is not sufficiently clear about what is meant by "access to the counselor" with the result that there are loopholes to apply. This can lead to students being assisted but not getting enough help. Despite the clear in the law that one should work more preventive, there is not enough time to work on value issues. This inturn means that most of the time out of their work is devoted to emergency situations. The school counselors in Malmoe believe that the new school organization probably is an act out of political interaction and not a way of exercising power. They set themselves very positive about the increasing transparency, because it will require competence by the counselor. The school counselors hope to have a head of student health that are proficient in student health work and understand what the counselors have for education. They want a manager who takes responsibility for the students, a manager that the counselors can discuss their work with and thus develop their professional skills.

How much the writer of this thesis is blazed on the subject of religion can be determined accurately only in his own mind. However, there must be the recognition that a person's background, especially his religious training and church affiliation, has its influence no matter how objectively a religious question is approached in a study. Even though this thesis is concerned with the legal concepts within the oases of the Supreme Court of the United States, the question of religious bias probably has its place, large or small„ Let it suffice to state that the writer is of a Protestant faith, specifically the Presbyterian denomination. The degree that has biased the treatment of the study should be a consideration of the reader, keeping in mindthe reader's own bias.