D.Ed.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / The present crisis in Black education in South Africa centres largely around the problem of educating and re-educating principals. Major deficiencies in the teaching of Mathematics and Physical Science exacerbate the acute shortage of adequately qualified teachers. During the past two decades there have been even greater uncertainties, fears and instabilities in the field of professional development. The problem of upgrading Black principals also seems to have received limited and sporadic attention. Central to this problem is the quality of the professional development of educational leaders. Hartshorne (1990:4) argues that" ...although it is crucial to highlight the fact that while there has been a marked improvement in the professional qualifications of Black teachers, there has been a disturbing and remarkable increase in the number of professionally under-qualified teachers in Black schools". Comments such as these highlight the severity of the education crisis, the need for skilled principals and the demand for effective professional development to improve their management skills. They also outline the context and rationale of this investigation. The three major resources in meeting the challenge of the provision of education are teachers, classroom facilities and effective managers or educational leaders. This investigation will suggest that innovative methods and strategies will have to be found in both pre-service and in-service education and professional development to increase the quality of principals available to the present system of schooling, without resorting to "quickfix" and 'cheap solutions. The first step could be the removal of the past educational inequalities: size of classes, teacher qualifications, funding disparities, educational facilities and equipment (Hartshorne, 1990:85). The recipe knowledge approach to professional development in the initial training programmes is becoming increasingly difficult to justify or sustain...

It is the purpose of this study to determine the value of the academic preparation and the in-service experience of the elementary-school principals as it pertains to three phases of the principals' duties--organization and administration, supervision, and community relationships.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, 1993. / This research is concerned with the lack of specialised training in School Management for Principals under KwaZulu Department of Education and Culture. Central to this argument, is the fact that Principals are merely accorded a new status and role without the necessary training to bring about school effectiveness. Principalship today is very difficult in Black education. A Principal grapples with much more complex problems which call for a new emphasis in developing management competence, skills, abilities and knowledge. Many Principals have had to pick up much of their expertise whilst performing the job. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate and assess the 'INSET' programmes on school management in KwaZulu. Very important questions concerning the relevance of training, aims, content and methods were raised. A questionnaire was administered to 85 Principals of Senior Secondary Schools out of 115 targeted Principals drawn from 4 Regions of K.D.E.C., namely, South Coast, Midlands, Zululand and Northern Natal. In each region, two Circuits were selected and questionnaires were sent to all Principals. After data analysis of the Principals' questionnaire, it became necessary to send another questionnaire (different in nature) to 7 Directors or Co-ordinators of Non-Governmental Organisations identified in the Principals' questionnaire as being responsible for running 'INSET' programmes on management. The major findings that emerged from this study were:- - the need to provide continuous In-Service training on school management not only by Non-Governmental Organisations but also K.D.E.C. itself. - the need for K.D.E.C. to exercise control and guidance on Non-Governmental Organisations. Too many of them operate in KwaZulu in an unco-ordinated manner and this leads to duplication of the same programmes with varying approaches. The underlying problem was found to be the absence of a clearly-defined policy regarding In-Service training by K.D.E.C. - the existing 'INSET' activity on management by Non-Governmental Organisations was found to be directed mainly to Principals. Deputy-Principals and Heads of Departments had been ignored. It was only in 1991 that K.D.E.C. made an attempt to train some newly appointed Deputy-Principals whilst many still got promoted without any training. H.O.D's were found to have been completely ignored. - school principals would like to become involved in the planning, organisation and running of their In-Service training. The pattern of relying on the consultants from outside the profession, largely ignores the fact that some Principals are often experienced people with as much to offer as to receive. The study concludes with several recommendations, the most important ones being: - the formulation of a policy by K.D.E.C. based on a well-defined philosophy of management training. This can be achieved by establishing a fully-fledged section at Head Office to co-ordinate In-Service training to school principals rather than leaving it to Non-Governmental Organisations. These should undertake non-directive roles. In-Service training on school management should be for all levels of our system of education i.e. Lower Primary, Higher Primary, Secondary and Senior Secondary. The establishment of a Section at Head Office could easily co-ordinate and render such training. necessity for constant evaluation of all 'INSET' management programmes to ensure relevance.

The purpose of this study was to determine if, after one year of operation, the UNT/Dallas Public Schools Leadership Development Program was progressing in accordance with the goals set out for the program. Questionnaires administered to 26 interns and 10 mentor principals and follow-up focus group interview sessions provided answers to the study's five research questions that explored the following: selection process; how interns' involvement in campus-based decision-making had changed; how mentor principals' perceptions toward interns had changed; and how administrative interns' perceptions of themselves and educational administration had changed. Findings from this study revealed the selection process provided the Dallas Public Schools an opportunity to select teacher-leaders from the district and to include a representative number of minority and women candidates for participation in the program. An area of weakness was seven interns with low GRE scores were admitted through an appeals process at the university. Another weakness revealed the majority of interns had been assigned more duties and responsibilities at the schools, but only 4 of 26 interns were being allowed to participate in any campus-based decision-making processes that could have an impact on school improvements. The study found the role of the mentor principal to be the most important factor in determining the satisfaction and success of the interns in the program. The embedded internship proved to be a disadvantage for the interns and principals, as the majority reported not having enough time to spend on administrative activities. Interns reported growth in personal and professional maturity and gained knowledge about the world of educational leadership. All 26 interns expressed the desire to become administrators in Dallas Public Schools upon completion of the program. Further research should include comparison studies between graduates of restructured programs and graduates of traditional programs to determine if there is a difference in school improvements and student achievement based upon the nature of the training of the school leader.

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published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The literature on middle level education addresses teaching and learning in great detail. While research on elementary and high schools consistently supports the importance of the school principal, the middle level principal is not readily addressed. Relatively little empirical evidence exists that addresses the career orientation of the middle level principal. Knowing the career orientation of middle level principals is important for principal-training programs, school corporations who hire middle level administrators, and educators who are contemplating or preparing for entry into the middle level principalship.This study examined the career orientation of Indiana middle level principals, grades six (6) through eight (8), during the 1998-1999 school year. The population consisted of 215 principals; 194 (90.2%) participated in the study. The purpose of the study was to determine the career orientation of practicing middle level principals by examining three strands: career aspirations, focusing on career path and career goals; professional preparation, focusing on licensing, educational background, and perceptions of preparedness; and job satisfaction, focusing on work preference and satisfaction. The demographic variables of age, gender, school size, experience as an assistant principal, years of professional experience, geographic location, highest degree earned, and employment of middle school constructs were considered in light of the three strands.Research questions examined four areas of the Indiana middle level principal's career orientation: the extent to which the individuals 1) aspired to be a middle level principal, 2) followed a career path that included middle level experience, 3) were prepared for the middle level principalship, and 4) were satisfied being a middle level principal.Findings of the study indicated that Indiana's middle level principals did aspire to the middle level principalship. Prior to their first middle level principalship, the career path for most middle level principals included middle level experience. Although middle level courses were part of most degree programs, most of the participants believed that preparation for middle level administration was not adequate. Finally, Indiana's middle level principals were satisfied with their work and most considered the middle level principalship to be their ultimate career goal.Recommendations for further study are included. / Department of Educational Leadership

M. Ed. (Educational Management) / Schooling in South Africa has been influenced to a large extent by socio-economic and political factors which resulted in a wide variety of schooling systems with vastly differing frameworks and standards. This coupled with the high failure rate of South African students in the 1995 matriculation examination as reported in The Star reflects the need to critically examine the effectiveness of the teaching programme (Swart and Mothibeli, 1995: 1). The Provincialisation of Education in South Africa has introduced far reaching changes which is aimed at improving the quality of Education and also at achieving cost efficient and effective use of educational resources. In a series of articles carried in The Star, increasing educational budget, introducing a single matric examination, introducing practical curricula and implementing teacher upgrading programmes were cited as some of the priorities of the new education department (Anon, 1995: 5). - While the South African Education system undergoes radical changes the question concerning educational productivity and school finance continues internationally. Odden and Clune (1995: 6) stated that although the budgetary provisions for schools in the United States for the period 1960 to 1990 rose by 200% there was only a slight improvement in student achievement. Many significant studies have been conducted in the past few years on school development and on school improvement but views on teacher effectiveness still remain illusive (Dalin, 1994:10). In some instances it is related to occupational roles while for others it is focused on routine aspects of work activity...

D.Ed. / The general aim of this research project is to: Investigate the competencies necessary for the training and development of effective principals. In order to achieve the general aim of this project the following serve as specific aims, namely to: Determine the competencies necessary to manage organisational structures effectively as an aspect of the training and development of principals; Ascertain the perception of principals and educators as to the importance of the effective management of organisational structures in the development of competent principals; Provide guidelines a strategy to train principals in respect of effective management of organisational structures as an aspect of the development of effective principals.