Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on June 8, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

A Tese tem como objetivo evidenciar práticas de integração, tecnologias avaliativas e estratégias de comparação acionadas pelo que denomino dispositivo do Compromisso. Esse dispositivo atua por meio de mecanismos de governo das instituições escolares do país para dar conta do que é produzido discursiva e praticamente como a qualidade da educação pública brasileira. A pesquisa foi feita no âmbito da política municipal de Educação Integral de Porto Alegre, instituída Programa Cidade Escola/SMED-PoA, em sua relação com as políticas nacionais de avaliação da qualidade da educação pública, como aquelas implementadas pelo Plano de Metas Compromisso Todos pela Educação, a partir do Plano de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica/MEC, no ano de 2007 e pelo Plano Nacional de Educação/MEC com vigência para o decênio de 2014 até 2024. Foram usados como referencial teórico-metodológico estudos produzidos por Michel Foucault, os quais remetem aos conceitos de problematização, governamentalidade e dispositivo. Demonstro na Tese como o dispositivo do Compromisso se engendra à racionalidade contemporânea neoliberal de produção, avaliação e comparação de distintos saberes de sociedades, de instituições escolares e de sujeitos educacionais. No que se refere às políticas nacionais, a definição de metas percentuais e índices numéricos para avaliar, medir e monitorar a qualidade dos sistemas de ensino, das gestões escolares, das aprendizagens dos alunos, da formação de professores, monitorar a evasão escolar, a reprovação e tantos outros fazeres educacionais conduz para a produção de mecanismos de governo que promovam o alcance desses valores numéricos. A Prova e a Provinha Brasil, assim como o Ideb, constituem-se em tecnologias avaliativas que se conformam às estratégias comparativas usadas pela Secretaria de Educação de Porto Alegre para avaliar o impacto da integralização educacional neste município. Para dar conta das metas percentuais de integralização, a Secretaria, elemento constituinte da governamentalidade contemporânea, recorre a práticas de integração que objetivam minimizar conflitos institucionais que ameacem a atuação do dispositivo. Defendo na Tese que esses mecanismos de governo mobilizam a articulação dessa Secretaria com as mais diversas instituições e atores sociais e têm por finalidade produzir efeitos na educação municipal que comprovem o sucesso do sistema de ensino da Rede Municipal, a partir do alcance das metas e índices nacionais de qualidade. Ao mesmo tempo em que o sucesso do sistema de ensino de Porto Alegre vincula-se à responsabilização social, na medida em que os elementos do dispositivo assumem um compromisso político, ético e social com a qualidade da educação pública brasileira. / The Thesis aims to highlight integration practices, evaluative technologies and comparative strategies activated by what I denominate device of Commitment. This dispositif works through government mechanisms of educational institutions of the country to deal with what is discursive produced and just as the quality of Brazilian public education. The survey was made within the municipal policy of Integral Education of Porto Alegre, nominated City School Program/SMED-PoA, on its relationships with national evaluation policies of the quality of public education, such as those implemented by the Development Plan of Basic Education/MEC in 2007 and by the National Plan of Education/MEC with validity for the decennary of 2014 until 2024. As theoretical-methodological references were used studies produced by Michel Foucault, which refer to the concepts of problematization, governmentality and apparatus. In the Thesis it is shown how the dispositif of Commitment interlace with contemporary neoliberal rationality of production, evaluation and comparison of distinct knowledge of societies, educational institutions and educational subjects. With regard to national policies, definition of percentage targets and numerical indices to evaluate, measure and monitor the quality of educational systems, schools management, students learning, teachers training, monitor school dropout, school failure and many other educational doings leads to the production of governance mechanisms which promote the achievement of these numerical values. The Prova and the Provinha Brazil, as well the Ideb, are evaluative technologies that comply with the comparative strategies used by the Secretariat of Education of Porto Alegre to assess the impact of integral education on this city. In order to deal with these percentage targets of integralization, the Secretariat, constituent element of contemporary governmentality, uses integration practices that aims to minimize institutional conflicts that threaten the dispositif performance. In the thesis, I support that these government mechanisms mobilize the articulation of this Secretariat with the most diverse institutions and social actors and intend to produce effect in municipal education which prove the success of the educational system of the city, based on the achievement of national goals and indices of quality. While the success of the educational system of Porto Alegre is linked to the social responsibility, as the elements of the dispositif assume a political, ethical and social commitment to the quality of Brazilian public education.

A Tese tem como objetivo evidenciar práticas de integração, tecnologias avaliativas e estratégias de comparação acionadas pelo que denomino dispositivo do Compromisso. Esse dispositivo atua por meio de mecanismos de governo das instituições escolares do país para dar conta do que é produzido discursiva e praticamente como a qualidade da educação pública brasileira. A pesquisa foi feita no âmbito da política municipal de Educação Integral de Porto Alegre, instituída Programa Cidade Escola/SMED-PoA, em sua relação com as políticas nacionais de avaliação da qualidade da educação pública, como aquelas implementadas pelo Plano de Metas Compromisso Todos pela Educação, a partir do Plano de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica/MEC, no ano de 2007 e pelo Plano Nacional de Educação/MEC com vigência para o decênio de 2014 até 2024. Foram usados como referencial teórico-metodológico estudos produzidos por Michel Foucault, os quais remetem aos conceitos de problematização, governamentalidade e dispositivo. Demonstro na Tese como o dispositivo do Compromisso se engendra à racionalidade contemporânea neoliberal de produção, avaliação e comparação de distintos saberes de sociedades, de instituições escolares e de sujeitos educacionais. No que se refere às políticas nacionais, a definição de metas percentuais e índices numéricos para avaliar, medir e monitorar a qualidade dos sistemas de ensino, das gestões escolares, das aprendizagens dos alunos, da formação de professores, monitorar a evasão escolar, a reprovação e tantos outros fazeres educacionais conduz para a produção de mecanismos de governo que promovam o alcance desses valores numéricos. A Prova e a Provinha Brasil, assim como o Ideb, constituem-se em tecnologias avaliativas que se conformam às estratégias comparativas usadas pela Secretaria de Educação de Porto Alegre para avaliar o impacto da integralização educacional neste município. Para dar conta das metas percentuais de integralização, a Secretaria, elemento constituinte da governamentalidade contemporânea, recorre a práticas de integração que objetivam minimizar conflitos institucionais que ameacem a atuação do dispositivo. Defendo na Tese que esses mecanismos de governo mobilizam a articulação dessa Secretaria com as mais diversas instituições e atores sociais e têm por finalidade produzir efeitos na educação municipal que comprovem o sucesso do sistema de ensino da Rede Municipal, a partir do alcance das metas e índices nacionais de qualidade. Ao mesmo tempo em que o sucesso do sistema de ensino de Porto Alegre vincula-se à responsabilização social, na medida em que os elementos do dispositivo assumem um compromisso político, ético e social com a qualidade da educação pública brasileira. / The Thesis aims to highlight integration practices, evaluative technologies and comparative strategies activated by what I denominate device of Commitment. This dispositif works through government mechanisms of educational institutions of the country to deal with what is discursive produced and just as the quality of Brazilian public education. The survey was made within the municipal policy of Integral Education of Porto Alegre, nominated City School Program/SMED-PoA, on its relationships with national evaluation policies of the quality of public education, such as those implemented by the Development Plan of Basic Education/MEC in 2007 and by the National Plan of Education/MEC with validity for the decennary of 2014 until 2024. As theoretical-methodological references were used studies produced by Michel Foucault, which refer to the concepts of problematization, governmentality and apparatus. In the Thesis it is shown how the dispositif of Commitment interlace with contemporary neoliberal rationality of production, evaluation and comparison of distinct knowledge of societies, educational institutions and educational subjects. With regard to national policies, definition of percentage targets and numerical indices to evaluate, measure and monitor the quality of educational systems, schools management, students learning, teachers training, monitor school dropout, school failure and many other educational doings leads to the production of governance mechanisms which promote the achievement of these numerical values. The Prova and the Provinha Brazil, as well the Ideb, are evaluative technologies that comply with the comparative strategies used by the Secretariat of Education of Porto Alegre to assess the impact of integral education on this city. In order to deal with these percentage targets of integralization, the Secretariat, constituent element of contemporary governmentality, uses integration practices that aims to minimize institutional conflicts that threaten the dispositif performance. In the thesis, I support that these government mechanisms mobilize the articulation of this Secretariat with the most diverse institutions and social actors and intend to produce effect in municipal education which prove the success of the educational system of the city, based on the achievement of national goals and indices of quality. While the success of the educational system of Porto Alegre is linked to the social responsibility, as the elements of the dispositif assume a political, ethical and social commitment to the quality of Brazilian public education.

O presente trabalho propõe desenvolver um programa metodológico de avaliação e melhoria contínua na qualidade da pós-graduação acadêmica no curso de engenharia mecânica da Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (EPUSP). Como caso específico do ensino superior, visando fornecer subsídios para o planejamento do mesmo, a metodologia proposta é baseada numa adaptação do uso do Quality Function Deployment (QFD) – ferramenta de processos e serviços – ao ensino. Pretende também obter valores quantitativos de satisfação, importância e desempenhos (esperados e relativos) para cada processo, e para cada requerimento do cliente. Isso permitirá demonstrar onde o programa estará agindo de forma correta ou onde é preciso melhorar, e quão longe ou perto das metas ele está. A metodologia adaptada ao ensino demonstrará a eficácia da ferramenta para outras classes de serviços, assim paralelamente o ensino será favorecido com mais um modelo eficiente de avaliação e planejamento. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa dão opção a um retorno , direcionando o planejamento da metodologia de maneira flexível às modificações próprias do ambiente (necessidades dos clientes), sem perder de vista a contínua melhoria e visando satisfazer os requisitos do presente. O trabalho demonstrou a aplicabilidade de uma das ferramentas da engenharia em benefício dela e o ensino em geral, assim como também avaliou os desempenhos atuais e esperados da pós-graduação (PG) em engenharia mecânica da EPUSP; mostrando quais elementos do programa de PG poderiam ser classificados em bons ou deficientes, e saber se os esforços e os recursos direcionados a eles estão sendo bem aproveitados. / This current research proposes the development of methodological program of evaluations and continuous quality improvement in post graduation in mechanical engineering course of the “Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo” (EPUSP), as a specific study case of the high education, targeting to provide subsidies for its planning. The methodology proposed herein is based on an adaptive use of QFD – a service and process tool – for education. It also intends to get quantitative values of satisfaction, relevance and performance (expected and relative) for each process and for each customer demand. Hence it will be possible to demonstrate where the program is acting in an effective manner and where improvements might be wanted, and how near or far from the objectives it is. The methodology adopted for the education is going to demonstrate the efficiency of the tool for another kind of services, and the education will be favored with an efficient evaluation and planning model. The results obtained in the work gives the option to a feedback, operating the planning of the methodology in a flexible way to the own modifications of the environment (customer’s requirements), The work had shown one of the application in engineering tools in straight benefit for the engineering and, in general, the education as well. As also evaluated the present performances and expectations of the post graduation (PG) in mechanical engineering of the EPUSP, showing which elements of the PG program would be able to be classified in good or deficient and know itself the efforts and resources directed to them are being well used.

M.Comm. / Recent studies into the strategic management field indicate that there is a lack of knowledge on strategy implementation. The lack of comprehensive implementation frameworks is particularly raised by a number of scholars. Strategy implementation is one aspect of strategic management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) of the Mpumalanga Department of Education. The research problem in this report refers to the achievement of the quality objectives of the IQMS. This report aims to explore whether the IQMS objectives are met. It also investigates the effective implementation of the IQMS. This study aims to identify gaps, if any, in the implementation process of the IQMS. Definitions of strategic management and the strategic management process are explored in this report. Strategy implementation levers as described by the McKinsey 7-S Framework are discussed. The role of Total Quality Management and the Balanced Scorecard in successful strategy implementation is shortly mentioned. This study reflects on the perceptions of a sample of the “implementers” of the IQMS. Data is collected by means of a questionnaire that is structured around the implementation levers. It highlights positive/negative aspects/perceptions of the system and the current implementation thereof. The sample consists of a mixture of principals, educators and administrative staff from the various schools in the Nkangala district as well as officials in the provincial office. With respect to the strategy for implementation, respondents seem uncertain. The study indicates that there is uncertainty regarding the organisational structures and its effectiveness in achieving the IQMS goal of support and development of educators. There is also uncertainty regarding the systems available for strategy implementation. It appears that there is uncertainty regarding systems and how it manages to identify specific needs of educators regarding support and development. Educators appear to be uncertain regarding the shared values in the organisation and this can indicate a problem regarding effective communication of the common values and objectives of the IQMS. A shortage of qualified officials and the large learner-to-educator ratios in schools are identified as staff issues in this study. Training and feedback regarding the implementation of IQMS is also a problem. There is uncertainty amongst principals and heads of departments with respect to skills. The respondents indicate an uncertain perception as to whether the IQMS is able to identify specific needs regarding support and development, which is one of the objectives of the IQMS. Recommendations include a review of the actual IQMS and widespread participation is encouraged. Regular communication about and training on how to implement the actual IQMS is necessary. Regular feedback on the implementation process is needed.

D.Ed. / The research study focused on how teachers respond to policy demands given the challenges of rural education and dominating policy discourses and how their professional learning is shaped by these conditions and limitations. In particular I wanted to learn and document what and how teachers learn as they engage in Integrated Quality Management Systems. This study was conducted because there is an outcry of poor examinations results in some rural schools, which could be linked to poor implementation of policies. To respond to this outcry the Teacher Learning Framework which could be used by teachers was developed. The investigation into teacher learning processes when they engage in policy implementation was designed as an interpretive ethnographic study and was conducted in a disadvantaged rural primary school in Ladysmith, in KwaZulu Natal, in South Africa. The study involved five teachers and it was undertaken as an action research study in two cycles. The purpose of cycle one was to verify how teachers presented lessons in terms of policy requirements and guidelines, and authenticate how they learn in the process about their teaching, learners, themselves, and policy requirements. Lessons conducted by teachers were observed and the reflections were also made by two teachers. This was done also as a strategy to gather data. In cycle one, data revealed that teachers were not in a position to implement what they planned to implement. Teachers gave themselves time to plan for cycle two in order to improve on the shortcomings in cycle one. Teachers appeared to have prepared their lessons well, involving learners. Some teachers indicated clear lessons steps which were followed in the classroom. Even before they went to teach in class, they discussed their lessons plans which contributed to the improvement in cycle two. As a process of data gathering, five teachers were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed. As a second level of data analysis which was towards developing the Teacher Professional Learning Framework, all the data types were visited with the aim of extracting and discovering codes and categories across data types. These codes and categories were used in a more thorough grounded analysis to formulate a Teacher Professional Learning Framework.

D.Ed. / Educator teams in secondary schools of the Kathorus area, lack the formal decisionmaking authority to implement the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) successfully. These teams lack the formalised horizontal structure that could empower them to decentralise decision-making authority among educator teams at all levels of the school and provide a lateral communication system in which members of teams communicate directly with one another in an organisation. The educator teams have not received effective training on the implementation of the IQMS from the Department of Education (DoE) and the DoE has not provided these teams with regular training programmes in their schools on implementing the IQMS successfully. Consequently, educator teams have been frustrated and have shown feelings of hopelessness, despair, and apathy, and a lack of commitment to their profession. The general aim of the study was to determine how educator teams can be empowered to implement the IQMS in secondary schools successfully. In order to investigate the empowerment of educator teams for implementing the IQMS successfully in these schools, the specific objectives were to: • explore the meaning of empowerment and determine the implications of empowerment for implementing the IQMS. • determine the perceptions of educators and school management teams (SMTs) on empowering educator teams to successfully implement the IQMS in secondary schools. The study introduced the problem of this inquiry and presented the background of the research problem, which was associated with the failure to successfully implement the IQMS in schools and the lack of authority of educator teams to implement the IQMS effectively. The problem statement, research questions and specific sub-research questions, the aims and objectives of the study and the research methodology, ethical considerations and the significance of the study were discussed.

Please read the abstract (Summary) in the 00front part of this document) / Thesis (PhD (Education Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

In order for the democratic government in South Africa to eradicate segregatio. It was necessary to introduce new policies with school teachers being expected to be agents of change. Teachers have a big role to play in the transformation of the country. This research investigated Integrated Quality management Systems (IQMS) for improving performance of selected schools in the King Williams Town Education District. Three schools were selected in the King Williams Town District . The aim of this research was to examine the implementation of IQMS in the selected schools. The introduction of IQMS by the Department of Education in 2003, did not help the schools in the King Williams Town district improve their performance. IQMS is a government policy. The intention of public policy is to solve a problem. The findings of this study indicates that in the selected schools the problem of poor performance was not solved by the introduction of IQMS. Scholars have written extensively on performance appraisal. Different writers agree that the main purpose of appraisal is to improve performance. The Constitution (1996) and policies provide a strong foundation for the effective implementation of IQMS and public administration provides a good support for the effective implementation of IQMS. Additionally, legislation and subsequent policies give guidelines of how to implement the system successfully. In this study, questionnaires were given to 15 educators to investigate how schools understand and implement the IQMS. Qualitative analysis was undertaken to interpret the responses from the educators. Themes were formulated based on the responses received. Findings were generalised from the responses received. The research discovered that educators do implement IQMS, but they do not see it as a mechanism of improving performance. Teachers demonstrated an inadequate understanding of IQMS.

M.Ed. / Appraisal seems to be a relevant instrument to facilitate the professional growth of educators and school improvement. However, if the process of appraisal is to be part of the development of educators and of schools, it needs to be part of the pattern of school life and linked to the school’s developmental activities. It needs to be context-based within the legal framework provided by the Department of Education (DoE). Appraisal should be a natural progression from the staff development and school development planning. Staff and professional strategies should enable schools and educators to gain skills and understanding, necessary to participate in appraisal. Appraisal should be set in the context of the objectives of the schools which will generally be expressed in a school development plan. The school’s objectives in a particular year, should be linked with appraisal, so that for example, professional development targets arising from appraisal, may be related to agreed targets and tasks in the development plan. This will help to speed up the process of facilitation of the professional growth of educators. A school which is self-developing and self-evaluating, is likely to be one in which all educators exchange ideas, share concerns, contribute to discussion, take part in the process of decision-making and have individual areas of strength and weaknesses identified and supported (Jones, 1993:10). In basic terms, the facilitation of appraisal will assist with the setting of whole school targets and identification of professional needs. / Dr. P.J. du Plessis