Education District Office support for teaching and learning in schools: the case of two districts in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mavuso, Mzuyanda Percival
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Schools -- Development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School administrators -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School supervision -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School improvement programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: vital:16194 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006259 , Schools -- Development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School administrators -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School supervision -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School improvement programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The idea of district support for schools is based on the view that local education offices are best placed to play a critical role in the promotion of quality teaching and learning. In performing this mandate whose characterisation has, over time, moved away from ‘inspection’ and ‘supervision’ both of which are seen as old fashioned and undemocratic, to support, which is seen as developmental. The aim of this study was to understand how three categories of district based officers, Subject Advisors, Integrated Quality Management System Coordinators and Education Development Officers support teaching and learning in schools. This was a case study of two districts in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A total of six district officials and four school based officials participated in this study. In-depth interviews and document analysis were carried out. There were four main findings. First, support for schools by three district based officials was understood and practiced as administrative tasks, mainly consisting of monitoring policy implementation and monitoring resource provision to schools. School Management Teams saw district officers’ visits as focussing on compliance rather than support. Second, some pedagogical support was given by Subject Advisors through training teachers in subject content and methods of teaching that subject. This was done through workshops and demonstration lessons. However Subject Advisors did not at any time observe actual classroom teaching to see if teachers were implementing what they had learnt at workshops. Third, none of the officers mentioned direct support for teaching and learning at classroom level. Visits by officials were not directly linked to influencing teaching and learning classroom level. Fourth, schools saw district officials as working in separate pockets and sometimes sending different signals to them, despite claims by district officials that inter-disciplinary meetings were held among district officials, however, the nature of the coordination and the use to which it is put remains unclear. There were three main conclusions, first that although the district officials’ visits to schools were described as support, they exhibited the trappings of technicism of inspection; supervision and control; and appeared to neglect the developmental aspects implied in the notion of support. Second, the conception and practice of support visits by district officials were characterised by tension between support and control. Third, at district level support to schools lacked coordination among the three categories of officers who visit schools. This has implications for quality management in schools. Given the findings and conclusions of this study; it is recommended that the issue of support for schools be the focus of a survey research for which a probability sample must be drawn in order to generate findings that are generalisable across the participating target population. Other research could focus on investigating mechanisms by which the tension between support and control can be resolved. To improve practice of a framework for the development of a coordinated district support focusing on the core business of teaching and learning is suggested.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Mavuso, Mzuyanda Percival
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Schools -- Development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School administrators -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School supervision -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School improvement programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Education)
- Identifier: vital:16194 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006259 , Schools -- Development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School administrators -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School supervision -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School improvement programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Educational evaluation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The idea of district support for schools is based on the view that local education offices are best placed to play a critical role in the promotion of quality teaching and learning. In performing this mandate whose characterisation has, over time, moved away from ‘inspection’ and ‘supervision’ both of which are seen as old fashioned and undemocratic, to support, which is seen as developmental. The aim of this study was to understand how three categories of district based officers, Subject Advisors, Integrated Quality Management System Coordinators and Education Development Officers support teaching and learning in schools. This was a case study of two districts in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A total of six district officials and four school based officials participated in this study. In-depth interviews and document analysis were carried out. There were four main findings. First, support for schools by three district based officials was understood and practiced as administrative tasks, mainly consisting of monitoring policy implementation and monitoring resource provision to schools. School Management Teams saw district officers’ visits as focussing on compliance rather than support. Second, some pedagogical support was given by Subject Advisors through training teachers in subject content and methods of teaching that subject. This was done through workshops and demonstration lessons. However Subject Advisors did not at any time observe actual classroom teaching to see if teachers were implementing what they had learnt at workshops. Third, none of the officers mentioned direct support for teaching and learning at classroom level. Visits by officials were not directly linked to influencing teaching and learning classroom level. Fourth, schools saw district officials as working in separate pockets and sometimes sending different signals to them, despite claims by district officials that inter-disciplinary meetings were held among district officials, however, the nature of the coordination and the use to which it is put remains unclear. There were three main conclusions, first that although the district officials’ visits to schools were described as support, they exhibited the trappings of technicism of inspection; supervision and control; and appeared to neglect the developmental aspects implied in the notion of support. Second, the conception and practice of support visits by district officials were characterised by tension between support and control. Third, at district level support to schools lacked coordination among the three categories of officers who visit schools. This has implications for quality management in schools. Given the findings and conclusions of this study; it is recommended that the issue of support for schools be the focus of a survey research for which a probability sample must be drawn in order to generate findings that are generalisable across the participating target population. Other research could focus on investigating mechanisms by which the tension between support and control can be resolved. To improve practice of a framework for the development of a coordinated district support focusing on the core business of teaching and learning is suggested.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Improving the organisational perfomance of school by increasing the effectiveness of school management teams
- Authors: Balie, Isaac Ronald
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School boards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8584 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1612 , School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School boards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The principal together with the school management team (SMT) of a public school is responsible for ensuring that all areas in the school function effectively. Effective school-based management is no longer a choice in South Africa but, rather, a must. Seventeen years into democracy, the Grade 12 pass rates in the Eastern Cape for the past three years were 50.6% in 2008, 51.0% in 2009 and 58.3% in 2010. Although there has been an improvement over the last three years, the Eastern Cape was still number seven out of the nine provinces in 2010. Against this background the question arose as to whether the schools in the Eastern Cape were effectively managed. The primary objective of the study is therefore to improve the organisational performance of public schools in the Uitenhage education district by investigating the relationship between the perceived effective implementation of basic managerial tasks (planning, organising, leading and controlling), on the one hand, and organisational performance of schools, on the other hand. Convenience sampling was used to select 100 out of a possible 139 senior management team members from 26 public schools in the Uitenhage education district. The sample was stratified to include principals, deputy principals and heads of departments. The empirical results revealed that the management tasks, leading and controlling, were the main determinants of the organisational performance of participating schools. The empirical results showed that planning and organising do not have a significant influence on the organisational performance of these schools. The managerial implications of the results are discussed and recommendations are made on the basis of these discussions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Balie, Isaac Ronald
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School boards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8584 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1612 , School management teams -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School management and organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , School boards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The principal together with the school management team (SMT) of a public school is responsible for ensuring that all areas in the school function effectively. Effective school-based management is no longer a choice in South Africa but, rather, a must. Seventeen years into democracy, the Grade 12 pass rates in the Eastern Cape for the past three years were 50.6% in 2008, 51.0% in 2009 and 58.3% in 2010. Although there has been an improvement over the last three years, the Eastern Cape was still number seven out of the nine provinces in 2010. Against this background the question arose as to whether the schools in the Eastern Cape were effectively managed. The primary objective of the study is therefore to improve the organisational performance of public schools in the Uitenhage education district by investigating the relationship between the perceived effective implementation of basic managerial tasks (planning, organising, leading and controlling), on the one hand, and organisational performance of schools, on the other hand. Convenience sampling was used to select 100 out of a possible 139 senior management team members from 26 public schools in the Uitenhage education district. The sample was stratified to include principals, deputy principals and heads of departments. The empirical results revealed that the management tasks, leading and controlling, were the main determinants of the organisational performance of participating schools. The empirical results showed that planning and organising do not have a significant influence on the organisational performance of these schools. The managerial implications of the results are discussed and recommendations are made on the basis of these discussions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
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