EDITORIAL

We need greater school autonomy to build social inclusion

Peter Garrigan, 3 August 2010

What should be a currently defining characteristic of our schools – and must be of future effective schools as learning communities, is a far greater level of school and principal autonomy – working effectively within an effective 21st century model of school governance.

And parents need to be fully involved not only in the debate that shapes and delivers this, but in all aspects of the decision making in each school– active players in the effective operation of a devolved school model and full partners in all aspects of their children’s learning and development.

Our education systems and their bureaucracies seem to shaped to operate perversely to ensure that the Principal’s lot – which should surely be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling on the planet – is in practice not always a happy one.

In particular we see principals increasingly weighted down and overburdened with far too many diverse and distractive things to do – and insufficient strategic control over the ways and means they need to get them done.

Ostensibly employed as skilled professionals and experienced education leaders, we see them also required to become by turns a part-time administrator, financial manager, counsellor, mediator, building project supervisor, ambassador, entrepreneur; and harassed filler-in of countless and multiplying reports and other paperwork, in an endlessly expanding working week.

Much of this complex burden of competing responsibilities can be eased not only by rationalising the load in such a way that the education leadership role is central and paramount – but also gives the principal real strategic control (with associated real responsibility and accountability) over the “means of production”. This requires entrusting the principal with a real autonomy of operation.

School Based Management is a long standing catch-cry that encompasses a real need and a real opportunity – a changed mindset and revitalised approach that is essentially needed to drive the transformational change processes of an education revolution.

Autonomy of operation when properly worked through and understood is not about imposing another workload on the principal. Real and effective school based management recognises school leadership as a shared responsibility, a collegiate function, a team effort and a productive partnership between principal, leading teachers, parents and families and other key players from the community for which the school provides a living and linking “hub”.

And this is certainly where the parents provide an essential element! Australian research in 2004 showed that schools which achieve high standards regardless of gender, family background or socioeconomic status, have a number of features in common. One of these is a high level of parent, family and community involvement. In these schools, parents and families are encouraged “to take an active role in discussing, monitoring and supporting their children’s learning. Parents are involved in setting goals for the school and in developing school policies.” ⁽¹⁾

As is clearly evident in this country and in others with similar values and understandings, the embodiment of this leadership team in action is the School Board or School Council – which draws on the complementary expertise and experience of all the stakeholders to support and advise the principal in articulating a shared and unifying vision, purpose and strategic priorities for the school – taking on an active shared responsibility for each of the constituent elements of planning, design, implementation, governance and review of the processes and activities which will sustain and realise their vision and purpose.

An effective consistent contemporary and forward-focused National Curriculum in place across Australia will provide a learning context for the operations of the Board of the autonomous school – and the school’s effectiveness within that context will be increased by removing the current wasteful repetitive reinvention of curricula in each and every school community. In the same way, the Melbourne Declaration on the Goals of Schooling for Young Australians sets national expectations and deliverables. With a more autonomous principal empowering skilled teachers to focus their skills, training, talents, professional judgment and imagination on student centred learning processes that engage and inspire young people and thus build a real socially inclusive learning community.

Enhanced autonomy that enables a renewed focus on real transformative education leadership that achieves real impact in the areas where it counts: the well-being, resilience, social and emotional development and enhanced learning potential of every young Australian.

(1) Reference – Masters, G (2004): Beyond political rhetoric: the research on what makes a good school Online Opinion.