The study presents a review of the establishment and operation of the
Curriculum Consultancy Section of the ACT Schools Authority over the
period of the first decade of its existence.
It considers the move to establish a new and different education
system; the important reports which gave impetus to that move; first
the Currie Report (1967.), Report on an Independent Education
Authority for the Australian Capital Territory and the three further
reports which kept the spirit of the Currie Report alive, i.e. the
Neal-Radford Report (1972.), the Campbell Report (1973.), and the
Hughes Report (1973.). The study emphasises the haste with which the
new system was finally established; that there was not time to develop
a 'coherent, imaginative and suitable plan' (Currie, 1967, p.9.) and
that staff resources were inadequate. As Beare (1978.) has noted, 'At
no time in its first four years was the Schools Office given the
manpower needed merely for maintenance functions let alone for
development activities ... .' (p.80.)
The curriculum issues that arose in planning this new system and the
curriculum context within Australia are considered prior to a close
examination of the development and operation of the section during the
decade; the pressures which affected it and the changes which occurred
This examination as the main body of the study falls easily into three
periods; The First Years; The Middle Years of the First Decade; and
the Final Years of the First Decade; each period coinciding with the
period of tenure of one of the three principals the section has had in
those ten years. Throughout this main body of the study the major
recurring themes affecting the life of the section are closely
followed, i.e. the conflict within the system, the diversity of
demands and the difficulties of meeting those demands, the difficulty
of defining role and function and the problems of leadership.
In conclusion the study reflects on these recurring themes and
examines the changes which have occurred over the decade, e.g. the
changes in role and function, the shift in orientation to consultancy,
the changes in selection and professional development of consultants,
the concentration of consultants in priority areas and the developing
cohesiveness of the consultancy section. Finally the study addresses
the future; consideration is given to the stage in the life cycle of
an organisation that the ACT Schools Authority is at currently and to
the effect that this may possibly have upon the undoubtedly troubled
future of the Curriculum Consultancy Section.
The study draws on the documents available; on interviews with people
who have worked in the area and also on the extensive body of
literature which is available.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/218989 |
| Date | January 1985 |
| Creators | Hamilton, John E., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright John E. Hamilton |
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