The demand for increased efficiency is a dilemma which faces members of all professions. Improved techniques, new discoveries, further research and the studies of the experiences of others have resulted in improved procedures in all fields. The education profession is no exception, as it has recently felt the impacts of concentrated efforts to increase efficiency at all levels. [...]

I want to challenge T. M. Skrtic's notions of Adhocracy as a viable organizational framework for Special Education in mainstream schools. I want to challenge Skrtic, not so much on the structural aspects of Adhocracy, but on the psychological, physical and emotional demands made of the teacher working in such a system. For while Skrtic's perspective regarding the organizational context of Special Education warrants credit for its perception and providence, it is my belief that Skrtic fails to address the human needs of teachers with the same clarity and brevity that he affords to understanding the needs of the children that are placed in their care. By focussing primarily on the design and implementation of what he considers to be the most effective structural configurations within schools to meet the needs of special education students, Skrtic's organizational paradigms may well create and perpetuate high levels of professional burnout and attrition as a consequence of reaching and maintaining his goal. In order to levitate Skrtic's ideology, and my experience, of Adhocracy, creating the potential for an initial point of equilibrium, I require a fulcrum, a pivot compiled of research made during my graduate studies, research that has focussed on the causes of stress, burnout and attrition associated with regular and special education teachers, I will make particular reference to the work of Brownell, Smith, McNellis & Lenk (1995) who provide tremendous insight into why people become 'stayers' - special education teachers with more than 5 years of classroom experience - or become 'leavers' - teachers who leave special education (Brownell et al, 1994-. 95, p. 87). It is my hope that by counter-weighing adhocracy, thereby giving credence to both its theoretical and practical existence, I hope to have exposed a paradox: that in striving to meet the needs of Special Education Children, Skrtic's application of Adhocracy as a viable organizational structure in regular schools is flawed because of its failure to identify and address the (individual) needs of those held directly responsible for its administration.

This study analyzed the perceptions of 184 teachers in 38 member institutions of the Canadian Association of Independent Schools to determine the most important characteristics and indicators of school effectiveness. Review of the school effectiveness literature indicated eight characteristics of school effectiveness: leadership, expectations, mission, time on task, monitoring, basic skills, climate, and parent/community participation. In addition, research on school effectiveness has found certain procedures or activities that contribute to effective schooling, termed indicators for this study. / Of the eight characteristics, creating a positive learning climate was ranked highest, as was the case in a recent study of private schools in the United States. At the level of indicators, top rankings were given to student-oriented concerns: (1) care about students as people, (2) providing an enriched and all-round quality programme for students, (3) pride in the school's and students' successes, (4) listening to students, (5) providing an enjoyable environment, (6) care of students in a professional manner. / In conclusion, these findings indicate that a balance of school effectiveness characteristics and indicators are required to render an overall quality programme for the benefit of the students.

No description available.

The study deals with administration of education in KwaZulu where the concern is for efficient and effective use of limited financial, human and material resources. The purpose of this evaluative analysis of educational administration is to determine the degrees of efficiency and effectiveness with which the system of education functions. Therefore, the aims of the study were the following: * To describe the KwaZulu educational system: its origin, character, socio-political context and constraints; * To identify the generic functions of educational administration on the basis of which criteria were formulated for evaluation; * To analyse educational administration in KwaZulu and to evaluate it by means of formulated criteria, and * To formulate recommendations regarding the improvement of educational administration in the area. The conceptual framework of the study derived from the development of administrative theories through time and their implication for, and impact on educational administration. This analysis enabled the investigator to extract criteria for evaluating administration of education in KwaZulu. The evaluative analysis had to be carried out in terms of the organisation of education from the school level to the head office. To deal adequately with the problem being examined, detailed discussion was given of the KwaZulu system of education and the broader context in which it functions. The population of the study comprised three categories of education officers, namely, school principals, circuit inspectors and selected administrators from the head office. The instruments for data collection were questionnaires for school principals and circuit inspectors and interviews for the head office administrators. The study identified the following problem areas: preparation for administrative roles, perceptions of work-related skills, work performance in terms of tasks, the process of administration and related problems, and collaboration among education officers as well as with interested parties. The analysis of data was both quantitative and qualitative. In the light of the findings of the study the investigator offered several recommendations. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1991.

1994 was a watershed in the history of education in South Africa. The post-apartheid government was faced with a large number of schools that were dysfunctional, especially black secondary schools in urban areas (Fleisch, 2004). Schools were in greater need of effective leadership than ever before. Since the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, there have been increasing demands on education leaders and managers. School leaders have been toted repeatedly in the media and literature as the key drivers of change. Studying school leadership is thus indeed an imperative, and the question to answer is not whether but how. This study uses ethnographic techniques to explore ways in which leadership is experienced in a school by individuals and groups through interactional events. Initial enquiries thrown up by this include: What best practice models could be revealed from a prolonged stay in the research field? What new leadership vocabularies permeate the educational space and what do these reveal about leadership practice? Given the political changes in South Africa, how has leadership evolved? This thesis presents an ethnographic portrait of a functional school in South Africa and focuses specifically on providing an analysis of how discourse, power and ethics are central to individual subjectivities of school leaders and managers by addressing the following critical research questions: (i) What are the leadership discourses in a school setting?; (ii) How do power and subjectivity play out within daily interactions of the school management team (SMT)? The concepts of surveillance, gaze, normalisation, and discourses throw new light on the discipline and practice of leadership and management, exposing their power relations’ pervasive effects in shaping the ethical decisions made. Without critical reflection and attention to power relations, school management could easily become inward looking and give inadequate attention to parents, learners and other stakeholders. The thesis concludes by drawing out four significant findings on the practice of leadership and management: (i) discourses shed light on institutional practices and the working of power; (ii) building social capital is an essential part of effective leadership; (iii) in an organisation such as the school, individuals are placed in a matrix of power relations; and (iv) schools advance iii the concept of moral ecology through the subjectivities and ethical actions of collective leadership of the school and community. Key Terms: Power relations, leadership, discourse, subjectivity, ethics, ethnographic techniques. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

In the past apartheid era, the South African education system was dominated by hierarchical structures. Top-down leadership in schools reflected a singular view of leadership. The principal’s position of power and authority had to be maintained. When democracy prevailed post 1994, the task team report on Education Management and Development (1996) called for a move towards a more participatory and democratic management style in school. The purpose of this study was to describe how teacher leadership was enacted by three post-level one educators in a semi-urban primary school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and to investigate factors that enhanced and hindered this enactment. The research was located within the interpretive paradigm and was qualitative in nature. I adopted a case study approach and tracked three teacher leaders in a school in which I taught. This study was conducted within a theoretical framework of distributed leadership. Data were collected over two semesters, from October 2008 to March 2009. Data collection methods included school observation, questionnaires, a focus group interview, participant self reflective journaling, participant observation and individual interviews. Data analysis was mainly qualitative using thematic content analysis but data were also analyzed quantitatively where questionnaires were entered into the programme called the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritburg, 2010.

Many changes have occurred in the South African education field since 1994. New education policies came into existence that were aimed at shifting from the management practices, which have been traditionally top–down and authoritarian, to more democratic and participative styles of leadership and management. However, despite all the policies that have been put in place, relationships in the majority of schools remain hierarchical with very little shared decision–making. Many South African schools in reality are still organised as hierarchies. Despite the introduction of democratic decision making structures such as the School Management Team and the School Governing Bodies, in practice in many schools principals still make all the decisions and hand them down to the rest of the staff. Many principals find it difficult to change from a highly authoritarian, hierarchical way of thinking to one that requires sharing of control with teachers, parents and students. Therefore, the aim of this study was to find out how teacher leadership was enacted by Level one teachers in one township high school and to investigate the factors that either enhanced or hindered this enactment. The whole study was conducted within an interpretive paradigm. I used this paradigm because as a researcher I believe that people define their actions by providing different interpretations of the situations they find themselves in. I also agree with Guba and Lincoln (1989) who state that the “evaluation outcomes are not descriptions of the ways things really are or really work” instead they “represent meaningful constructions that individual actors or groups of actors form to make sense of the situations they find themselves in” (p.8). Case study methodology was used to frame the investigation of the research questions. Quantitative data were collected through a survey questionnaire from all staff members who were my secondary participants. Qualitative data was collected from my three primary participants, through the use of focus and individual group interviews, self reflective journals and observations. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The purpose of the study was to understand how teachers, pupils and managers experience and manage diversity in multicultural schools. The study was conducted at 3 successful multicultural schools in the Durban region in the Province of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa ( Merebank District ). Literature based on the United States of America and the United Kingdoms' experiences on multicultural education was reviewed and its relevance or applicability to the South African schools also presented. This study regards multicultural education as an education approach that incorporates the idea that all students, regardless of their gender and social class and their ethnic, racial or cultural characteristics, should have an equal opportunity to learn in school, which could enhance the achievement of students in a more positive way. The study was conducted through interviews, classroom observations and questionnaires. Teachers, pupils and managers were surveyed to find out how they deal with issues of identity, how they manage diversity and what role they play in bringing about harmony and effective learning in a multi cultural school. The findings of the study were also analyzed in relation to the roles played by the principals, students and teachers in a multicultural setting. This study found that pupils, teachers and managers face serious problems in these 3 multicultural schools and are unable to deal with and manage diversity, especially cultural diversity. Finally, the study has revealed that if all the people involved i.e. pupils, teachers and managers can combine their roles into a solidified whole, they can bring about change, good human relations and effective teaching and learning in multicultural schools. The study makes suggestions and recommendations that could be considered when dealing with diversity. It is hoped that this study together with other studies on multicultural education, would provide the necessary help to educators, education authorities and other stakeholders to be able to deal effectively with issues of identity and diversity in multicultural schools and in a multicultural society as a whole. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Durban-Westville, 2001.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1988.