This research investigates the relationship between principalship and policy in small New Zealand primary schools. A distinctive feature of small primary schools is that their principals typically have to teach as well as manage. Overseas research indicates that in times of educational reform, teaching principals face particular difficulty and may need special support. Following the watershed educational reforms of 1989 and a decade of hands-off policy in education (1989-1999), central policy towards school support in New Zealand is now more hands-on. The impact of this policy change on small schools has not been researched hi New Zealand, where such schools make up over fifty percent of all primary schools.
The aims of this study are to analyse the impact of current support policy in New Zealand on small primary school principalship, and to evaluate the extent to which policy adjustment might be needed in the future. Using multiple methods and a case study approach to gather data, the study focuses on small school principalship in one New Zealand region - the Central Districts region. It also considers the recent policy initiatives, their rationale and the extent to which they appear to be meeting the support needs reported by the principals whose work has been researched in the study.
Broadly, the study has found that within small schools, the role-balance within a teaching principals work is a critical factor, as the ratio within the principals role-balance between the teaching role and the management role creates variation in work-demands, work-strategies and types of support needed. Teaching principals in New Zealand generally feel better supported now than they did in the 1990s and the study identifies factors associated with this change. However the analysis in this study suggests that the current policy aim to both rationalise and strengthen the small school network as a whole is rather problematic. Without better targeted support policy in this area, old style parochial and competitive attitudes between schools are unlikely to change in the future.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/217020 |
| Date | January 2003 |
| Creators | Collins, Graham J, mikewood@deakin.edu.au |
| Publisher | Deakin University. School of Social And Cultural Studies in Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.deakin.edu.au/disclaimer.html), Copyright Graham J Collins |
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