M.Ed. / This is a qualitative research that explored the effectiveness of leadership of four schools in West of Johannesburg. The perception and contribution of all role players in these institutions were explored. The study interrogated the topic through the use of focus group interviews; personal interviews and through observations. This study was necessitated by the changes that are taking place in educational institutions and the outside forces that are putting pressure on educational institutions to change. The researcher argues that the ensuing change is received and perceived differently by individuals and groups within and outside these institutions. This investigation is important because it reminds and helps managers of their responsibilities as professional educators and as executive officers of schools.

M.Ed. / The last decade constituted a period of great discovery and change for education all over the country. This called for policies for transformational leadership. Kouznes and Posner(1995:130) indicates that "high policy - that is, major change in a society's sense of direction - is first shaped in an anchoate consensus reached by the people at large." The policies for effecting change in schools are drawn but the problem is: are those policies communicated well to the schools community and stakeholders, are they well understood, are they implemented effectively for the benefit of all involved? It is time that all transformational policies drawn at all levels as agreed upon be implemented in a coordinated way. According to Telford(1996:8-9), "transformational leadership acknowledges that in today's challenging and demanding educational climate of constant and turbulent change, no single person alone is likely to have the combined capacities necessary to engage in effective leadership. It can be legitimately argued, that in empowering a range of people within the school community - educators, learners, parents and others as 111 appropriate, a combined richness of educational thought and activity, superior to that of any single leader can be achieved. "That is, leadership at its best is a shared venture engaged in by many". This has concentrated on these policies that need to be implemented to effect change. The findings are also that there are policies for transformational leadership in place but the in adequate training makes it impossible for effective implementation. Therefore, the aims objectives of this study are summarised as follows: To determine the extent to which policies guide the transformational leader to effect meaning full change(s). To establish the extent to which change involves the collaboration of the transformational leader and the followers. The determine how implementation of policies take place at the school site. To determine whether support systems are offered by district offices officials to principals and educators regarding interpretational and implementation of policies. Through qualitative and quantitive research,questions and statements, the researcher was able to do some findings as far as transformational policies are concerned. The study concludes on a few recommendations that enough information and training should be given to all stakeholders for effective implementation hence creation of change that would take schools into the 21' century.

Many schools in South Africa suffer from the consequences of bad leadership and management practices. A contributing factor to this problem is the inadequate preparation of school leaders for the wide variety of challenges facing them. This study formed part of a three-year project to develop a preparation programme for school leaders in the Southern Cape area of South Africa. Its aims focussed on the identification of principles for the design of preparation programmes leading to improvements in practice. Twelve teachers and principals participated in the project. They enrolled for a programme in school leadership designed and offered by the University of Port Elizabeth in consultation and cooperation with the Southern Cape Learning Resource Unit in George. Five sources were utilized for the provision of data: - The existing literature on the development of preparation programmes; - The group of twelve participants of the programme; - The four school principals in the group who acted as a focus group; - The staff and certain documents from the schools where these four principals are employed; - Local stakeholders with an interest in the success of the programme. Research methods typical of the interpretive tradition were utilized in orderto arrive at a better understanding of the needs of participants and of those elements of programmes which have the greatest impact on practice. Among the insights to have emerged from the study are the following: - The fact that the preparation of school leaders is a complex and multifaceted process which is enhanced by variety, continuous interaction between presenters and participants, flexibilityt o respond to changing needs and contexts, and an ongoing implementation in and feedback from practice ; - The central role played in the professional and academic growth of participants by individuals and groups around them; - The importance of action research as a tool in the accomplishment of a variety of goals in the preparation of school leaders. The main contributions of this study include: - A framework for the development of preparation programmes, ensuring the inclusion of a wide range of elements enhancing the effectiveness of the course; - A framework for the establishment of professional networks supporting participants in preparation programmes.

Growing research in educational leadership and management shows that there are many factors that have an impact on the running of effective schools. Many people are now aware of the importance of the school management‟s role in guiding successful schools. This quantitative study was conducted in Gauteng where 100 school managers responded to a questionnaire which probed them about their conflict management and competence skills. The participants responded to a 40 item Likert scale instrument. Each of the items had five alternatives to choose from. The results demonstrate that many teachers were never trained in conflict management skills and that they also find it hard to resolve disputes in their schools. Furthermore, a majority of the participants attributed the dysfunctionality and lack of teacher commitment to the pervading unresolved conflicts in their schools. There was also consensus that intractable conflict adversely affects the culture of learning and teaching in schools. Among the recommendations highlighted at the end are to ensure that prospective school managers are empowered with conflict management skills before assuming their positions.

The research presented in this thesis investigates challenges faced by principals in historically disadvantaged schools in terms of their role as instructional leaders facilitating the implementation of curriculum policies. The study consists of two parts. The first study sampled 25 school principals, 80 teachers and 11 department of education officials from the Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth education districts in the Eastern Cape. Data obtained in the first study were generated by administering a pen-and-paper questionnaire and individual interviews to selected participants. The second study employed an online questionnaire that was open to principals, teachers and departmental officials in all provinces of South Africa in order to generate data over as wide a geographic range as possible. Mixed methods were used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data from the two studies. Thematic analysis techniques were employed to categorise qualitative data and the quantitative data were subjected to analytical techniques to provide descriptive and inferential statistics. The data revealed that school principals view themselves as change agents who should be in the forefront of change and curriculum implementation, and that they believe that they know what is expected of them in this regard. However, they recognise that they are not adequately prepared for the task of instructional leadership. The data also suggest that teachers have expectations that principals should be trained in instructional leadership and work closely with departmental officials in order to provide guidance and leadership at school level to address their professional needs. Problems related to capacity and skills of subject advisors and other district officials were revealed by the study. These issues are generally and informally recognised, but have not been formally raised within the Department of Education. The findings of the study also highlight the fact that, after nearly two decades in the new political dispensation, there are still vast differences within the South African schooling system between school types. These differences are most evident between ex-Model C schools and historically disadvantaged ex-DET schools, and it is recognised that principals in ex-DET schools need support tailored to their particular circumstances and context. The findings in this study support the notion that much needs to be done in South Africa in terms of empowering school principals; especially those from historically disadvantaged schools. The data provide insights into some of the constraints of local context, which enables better understandings of the challenges of instructional leadership in historically disadvantaged schools. These understandings should be of value when considering strategies to support principals in their role of instructional leaders.

The poor matric results currently in the Soweto Township Secondary Schools are a cause for concern. This study aims to explore and understand the role of the principal on learner achievement. It transpired from the reviewed literature that the instructional leadership theory was helpful in providing insights into understanding issues of principals leading or supporting learner achievement efforts within the school context. This study relied on in-depth taped interviews with school principals, curriculum deputy principals and focus group discussions with the Representative Council of Learners (RCL), together with the documentary analysis to answer the research question and sub–questions. The sample schools were selected purely on the previous, “academic excellence.” This study also investigated what students, teachers and deputy principals perceive principals to do to influence learner achievement. The study discovered that the scope of principals‟ influence on learner achievement varies from one school to the next. The influence was both direct and at times mediated. The findings were that instructional leadership was a dominant style of leadership in the schools studied, as students identified direct and highly influential instructional leadership behaviours. It also transpired that the critical role of the principal to influence and enhance learner achievement was to manage teaching and learning, which is the core business of the school.

In this study the problem concerning the contingency approach to the managerial tasks of the Black high school principal was investigated by means of literature study, interviews and observations. As a result the problems and challenges facing the Black principal were identified. The managerial tasks of the principal in the South Africa of the l 990's were identified and defined. It became clear that these tasks are performed under changing situational contingencies. The contingency approach, its basis, what it entails and its importance in the RSA of today was described. When the contingency approach was related to the managerial tasks, it became clear that under one set of circumstances one type of leadership style is effective. Interviews and observations were conducted in certain schools and with certain principals. Research findings revealed that the Black high school principal should be flexible in the face of many contingencies facing him. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Masters in Development Studies in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2017. / This study explores a partnership model designed by Partners for Possibility (PfP), a South African non-profit organization (NPO) attempting to reform the country’s education system. Through its partnerships, PfP aims to address the identified problem of weak school leadership in order to improve the educational outcomes in schools. In this model, school principals of underperforming schools are paired up with business people with leadership experience for a period of one year to address the challenges facing their schools. The model includes a 12-month structured training programme which seeks to capacitate and support the paired principal and business leader in their partnership-building process. This study provides an in-depth investigation of the experiences of the partnerships and of the influence of the structured programme on these partnerships from the perspectives of the principals and of the business leaders. The effect of social differences on the partnerships was also considered. Among the theories used in this study are critical action learning and common ingroup identity. A qualitative research design was employed and data was collected from 10 school principals of “no fee” schools and from 12 business leaders. The results of the study reveal that the functionality of these partnerships is determined by their focus, which can be long-term and transformative or short-term and tending towards resolving the school’s immediate material needs. Further, these partnerships were found to be capable of improving school performance if the partners engaged in activities that promoted teaching and learning. Despite this potential, there was little monitoring of school performance. The results also indicate that the group-learning aspects included in the structured programme could encourage the partnership to focus on short-term goals which tend not to lead to long-term sustainable change in the school. The social tensions attributed to race and class divisions were found to have a minimal effect on the partnerships studied since the partners’ common vision, namely, to improve schools, allows them to maintain their unique identity either as principals or as business leaders. Because education reform is a complex and long-term project, the recommendations following this study point to the need for a more integrative approach in the PfP process, and a greater awareness of the need for a longer time scale in order to bring about the desired transformation in schools and consequently to South Africa’s education system. / XL2018

This study explored the impact of democracy on the leadership and management styles in two previously coloured primary schools in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province of South Africa. The report uses a case study as well as an interactive qualitative analysis research methodology. It explores how principals and educators use post-apartheid legislation policies and practices to address complex challenges in order to effect change. I argue that despite tensions between coloured and black educators, change is evident. The people learn to work together, respect each other and forge ahead. These challenges brought about by desegregation contribute to shaping a future non-racial, non-sexist South Africa. We see how mentalities of superiority and inferiority play itself out and how one group exercises its hegemony over another sometimes reflecting the social constructs of society during apartheid. The findings reveal that the Constitution of South Africa (1996) and the South African Schools Act (SASA) (1996) are not used sufficiently and substantively to influence change. Discretion and common sense are often used to resolve problems and to find each other. Desegregation and integration create a space where tolerance, acceptance and forgiveness have been able to be practiced in different ways. The leaders have worked with their staff, students and communities to make headway on the path from the received apartheid past to a brighter more integrated future.” While schools discuss embracing the ten fundamental values of the Constitution of South Africa, living up to them continues to remain a challenge in practice.