Balancing school autonomy and head teachers’ accountability for schools in Slovakia (original) (raw)
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School Autonomy and School Leadership: Case Study of School Operation in Slovakia
Problems of education in the 21st century, 2018
During as near as three decades after the political changes in Slovakia its system of education has undergone many reforms. As an integral part of them have been changes regarding school autonomy as it influences quality of education. To achieve an optimal model of autonomy offered to schools is very difficult, as appropriate level of autonomy is dependent on time and social conditions. To improve democratic participation of primary and secondary school leaders in Slovakia, a research aimed at assessment of the current state of the level of school autonomy was carried out. The research data were obtained from a questionnaire survey, the respondents of which were 93 headmasters and deputy headmasters. These school leaders assessed the power they (the schools) have in five fields, namely in the fields of school activity in the whole, school curricula matters, school financing and budgeting, staff recruitment, selection, employing and sacking, administrative and operational management. The assessment they give once with respect to the level in which to them given autonomy matches the tasks and problems they have to cope with, and the second time with respect to their opinion where the scope of the autonomy should be changed. Although the school leaders assessed the level of the powers they are given in a positive way, as average or broader, they still feel a need to have a broader scope of the powers and responsibilities, mainly in the field of financing and budgeting.
Teachers for Slovakia: Tensions in the Profession
Studia Paedagogica, 2020
The Slovak teaching profession is in a difficult situation. There are signs that the country is facing a teaching staff shortage and that the demand for new teachers will continue to grow. The data indicate that some subjects are being taught by unqualified teachers on a fairly wide scale. Finding quick, simple solutions to these problems is a challenge because teaching is not considered an attractive profession, mainly because of teachers' low salaries and social status. We will illustrate related uncertainties and complications in the teaching profession by looking at two extremes of these trends in the teaching profession. On the one side, we have Teach for Slovakia, which has opened potential for new teaching qualification models. It is an example of inclusive education in the sense that it only works when differences among teachers are accepted and the focus is on teachers' strong points and professional characteristics. On the other side, the introduction of national testing has made teachers accountable for student educational outcomes. Our qualitative interviews reveal that, in the (sometimes critical) views of teachers, accountability is now part of professionalism in Slovakia and is producing various tensions.
Teachers for Slovakia: Tensions in the PROFESSION1
2020
The Slovak teaching profession is in a difficult situation. There are signs that the country is facing a teaching staff shortage and that the demand for new teachers will continue to grow. The data indicate that some subjects are being taught by unqualified teachers on a fairly wide scale. Finding quick, simple solutions to these problems is a challenge because teaching is not considered an attractive profession, mainly because of teachers’ low salaries and social status. We will illustrate related uncertainties and complications in the teaching profession by looking at two extremes of these trends in the teaching profession. On the one side, we have Teach for Slovakia, which has opened potential for new teaching qualification models. It is an example of inclusive education in the sense that it only works when differences among teachers are accepted and the focus is on teachers’ strong points and professional characteristics. On the other side, the introduction of national testing h...
Teaching profession in Slovakia in the EU context
2013
A study investigated the perceptions and level of knowledge of education law and relevant documents, it presents the partial results focused on professionalization of the teachers' profession among regular education teachers (n = 275). The aim of the theoretical part is to present the basic terminology connected to the pedagogical profession. The authors focus especially on the determination and legislation of professionalization of this profession in the context of Slovakia's accession to the European Union. The research identifi ed opinions of teachers on the changes that EU legislation brought to their work. Key words: law education in Slovakia, teaching profession, EU degrees of education, entrance processes and graduation processes. Law 317/2009 coll. on Law on pedagogical employees and professional employees and on the Change and Supplement to Some Acts defi nes rights and duties, assumptions and professional development of the pedagogical employees and professional employees.
2017
The publication was prepared by representatives of three universities – from Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The changing social situation and the changes resulting from scientific advancement have caused a growing difference between the preparation for and actual performing of particular professions. In the case of teachers’ work, this becomes especially noticeable as social expectations are aimed not so much at the success of educators but mostly at their appropriate preparation of the young generation. Thus, a teacher is to prepare the young for what they will face in a few years, not for the present situation. School should equip youth with the knowledge and skills which will enable them to solve problems associated with e.g. choosing a career. This brings about different views on the ways of teachers’ education and training. The problem has become of special significance in the period of rapid social, scientific and technical transformations taking place over the last decades. New problems also result from the accession to the European Union. School should be a place where a young person is prepared for making use of what other cultures offer, for fast development of technology and science, with simultaneous appreciation of the native tradition. Therefore, teachers are burdened with many new duties which reach beyond the information and skills they have had so far. The changes introduced by new competences determine the broadening of the scope of teachers’ professional functions. What seems to be the essence of each school reform are the changes taking place in teachers’ activities. All other changes – in legal regulations, in the organization of school work, or in curricula, are of secondary significance. This takes place because the school reality changes according to the reformers’ assumptions only if teachers have necessary qualifications and willingness to implement the assumed transformations. The change should affect the system of teachers’ professional education and training, which ought to alter not only the content-based method of professional work but also teachers’ attitude to their qualifications. In the process of their education, teachers should be equipped with expert knowledge of the subject and practical experience. The discussion on educational models often concerns the proportions in which these elements should appear. The teacher’s profession has always raised emotions due to the possibility of shaping and modelling the young generation. There has been a lot of debates on the personality, authority or power of teachers, various phenomena associated with their didactic work (e.g. “work burnout”), as well as the change in the relation between the teacher and the learner. Another phenomenon concerning the reflections upon the teacher is the “myth of a teacher” – in the past, someone who loves a child’s soul, a social activist rooted in the local environment and acting for others and currently – a specialist and expert in a particular subject. School is not the only and basic source of knowledge for children any longer. Contemporary learners know more and more, but this does not mean that they understand more. Therefore, what seems a chance and a duty of teachers is using children’s resources of information and experience to teach them to think and organize their own experience. At the same time, a crisis of school knowledge co-occurs with the problem of a teacher’s authority – in the past, a teacher was a mentor and a master, who was widely respected due to the acquired knowledge and a high-rank social position.
2000
This paper reports on a study of the changes that Czech education has undergone over the last decade. Many of these changes have been of a fundamental and significant nature, and have had an essential and relatively long-lasting influence on the form and behavior of the system. These changes have had their impact on the roles of people within the system as well. There have been a variety of reforms, and also a number of efforts to manage them. The study asks whether these changes have really been managed in a sophisticated way (supported by the theory of change and its management) or have been subject to improvisation by people, who usually have good intentions, but no appropriate knowledge, skills, or experience. The setting up and starting of the activities of school-governing bodies is used as an example in the study to look at whether the present situation in Czech schools is the result of qualified management or rather of improvisation. Findings indicate that the activities to launch school-governing bodies cannot be regarded as mere improvisation. However, generally speaking, these efforts do not reflect the theory and the practical experience of those who are experts in the management of organizational change. Consequently, 10 years after a fundamental socioeconomic breakthrough in Czech society, school-governing boards remain on the periphery of what schools, parents, and others are interested in. (Contains 10 references.) (DFR) ECER 2000, Edinburgh, Scotland Changes in Czech Education-Improvisation or a Controlled Process?
Espacio, Tiempo y Educación, 2017
This article analyses the means and boundaries of the professional autonomy that elementary school teachers enjoyed in the second half of the nineteenth century in the territory of modern-day Slovenia, previously part of the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian Empires. While their work had been regulated in great detail since the Elementary School Act of 1774, which laid down even the contents and methods of teaching to be employed, the subsequent 1869 Act stipulated that teachers could become members of school boards as a means of providing them with an opportunity to influence education policies. Teachers were required to attend teachers’ conferences where, among other things, participants discussed successful teaching methods and developed detailed curricula and lesson plans. Teachers expected these changes to bring them greater autonomy, as well as a say in school policies and greater public confidence in their professional authority. This paper contains an analysis of whether or not ...
High autonomy and low accountability: Case study of five Czech schools
The paper aims to describe the effects of a unique combination of high autonomy and low outcome accountability of the Czech schools. First, the paper outlines test-based accountability as a key concept of contemporary educational policy. Next, the research design is briely described and the qualitative data on the effects of school choice and curriculum autonomy / decentralisation are presented. The discussion stresses the problem of time frame in evaluating system wide interventions and also sketches a vision of new emerging school reform discourse. Processes of change in five Czech “combined” primary and lower secondary schools were studied by qualitative longitudinal multiple case study for over 5 years. Surprisingly, the results suggest that many negative effects ascribed to the high stakes tests (e. g. curriculum narrowing, fabrication of image) could be seen in the studied schools despite the different model of governance in the Czech Republic. The contemporary discussion of risks of (high stake) testing should be complemented by a similar analysis of both costs and negative effects of the absence of outcome accountability.
Management of Czech Schools: With or without Teachers' Participation?
1997
This paper reports on a study to determine what management styles are being used at Czech schools and the possible reasons for these styles. The study also looked at participatory management in Czech schools and the possible hindrances to its wider adoption and development. Five basic questions were formulated: What management style is typically used? Are school leaders and teachers satisfied with the prevailing school management style? Is there an awareness of other management styles? Is there a need for participatory management style? and Has a participatory management style been realized in Czech basic schools? If "yes," what kind of decision making is made, to what extent are the decisions made in a participatory way, and what areas of these schools are affected? If "no," what are the main obstacles to participatory situations at schools? Questionnaire surveys, semistructured individual interviews, group interviews, observation, and study of documents were used. Findings indicate that a variety of management styles are being used, with the majority of school heads satisfied with the management style they have adopted. Another conclusion was that school leaders did not have much interest in getting teachers involved in shared-decision making. (DFR)
Dimensions of the Role of the Head Teacher in the Educational System in Poland
2008
Education is increasingly defined as an essential factor not only in cultural and social progress but also in economic and political development� The effectiveness of a school's management depends mainly on its leaders: the head teacher and deputy head teachers� Their roles, duties, competences and professional preparation are presented in the following article�