CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND TRENDS IN EDUCATION
2.2 OVERSEAS AND AUSTRALIAN TRENDS IN EDUCATION
2.2.8 Some Australian Trends in School Organisation
In Australia there is evidence of concern for the primary-secondary transition period. A Queensland study called for improved processes of transition from the final year of primary to the first year of secondary schooling.«0> The Beazley Report in Western Australia
recommended much greater effort by schools in easing the transition of students to secondary school and proposed a structured transition program involving data collection and inter
-
school visits .(6')
In regard to class size the Beazley Committee acknowledged that the research on the relationship between class size and the quality of learning is not unequivocal. It saw greater advantage in giving schools flexibility by reducing the overall school's student-teacher ratio rather than recommending a fixed reduction of class size in all schools .c02) The Quality of Education Report quoted research indicating that reduction in class size would not be effective unless it led to less than twenty students per class. It saw little chance of achieving this figure in Australian schools but saw some scope for reduction in special cases .(63) In Australian schools the principal is responsible for the total operation of the school. In recent years principals have been encouraged to involve teachers, students, parents and other community members in decision-making. In several states recent radical changes in the organisational structure of the education system will result in greatly increased responsibilities for principals.
The trends towards changed management patterns which were noted in the United Kingdom, the United States and New Zealand are also obvious in the Australian States. In the Western Australian "Better Schools" proposal a two-level management decision-making process has been established — the school and the central administration of the Department. Regions have been abolished and the intention is that major policy decisions will be made at the central level, while all operational matters will be decided at the school level. "Self- determining" schools will receive school financial grants and in co-operation with school- based decision-making groups will prepare school development plans .t4)
Corporate management principles have been applied to the education system in Victoria With management occurring by delegation of responsibilities rather than by traditional bureaucratic controls (63) In South Australia schools are to develop "School Achievement Plans" in co-operation with the school staff, the School Council, and where relevant the students .«>
The general trend is for state governments to adopt a much stronger role as far as goals, priorities and accountability are concerned and to shift significant authority and responsibility fir Operational matters to the school level.
At the time of writing, a preliminary independent report by the Director of the Management Review of the NSW Education Portfolio has recommended sweeping reforms to the management of education in this State. As in those education systems in Australia and overseas already mentioned the reforms include devolution of operational management to schools and regions and the "flattening" of structures and responsibilities to give clearer lines of accountability to and from schools. The Head Office of the Department will become smaller, čoncentrating on the development of policy and management systems, general Department- Wide oversight and corporate planning and co-ordination.
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5. Barcan A (1988) op cit, pp 106-111.
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