2011年6月15日 星期三

The Fundamentals of School Security 學校安全的基礎

Beware of stigmatizing students who seem to fit a standardized profile, however. Educators must consider warning signs in context, avoid stereotyping and labeling, and keep concerns confidential (Dwyer). Well-communicated, consistently enforced discipline policies with specific rules and consequences are the foundation of a positive school climate.
然而要注意不要以標準化的框架來指責學生,教育人員必須要考慮背景中的警告跡象,避免成見和標籤化,並要保持密切地關注。一所正向積極的學校氣候的基礎是良好的溝通並持續地影響有著具體規定的政策及政策結果。

All students should be treated respectfully to avoid creating resentment among individuals or subgroups. Walker notes that smaller schools, which provide a more intimate atmosphere and a greater sense of belonging, have fewer behavior problems than large schools.
所有的學生都應該受到尊重,以避免造成個人或小組之間的怨恨。小型的學校提供了一個更親切的氣氛,有著更大的歸屬感,因此比起大學校較少產生問題行為。

School officials should encourage staff members to form positive relationships with students. "Research shows that a positive relationship with an adult who is available to provide support when needed is one of the most critical factors in preventing student violence," Dwyer and others report. Positive attitudes and behavior among students can be fostered by teaching prosocial skills and anger management, and by peer mediation and conflict-resolution programs (Hamby, HADG, Dwyer).
學校官方應該鼓勵教職員與學生形成良好正向的關係。研究指出,預防學生暴力最重要的關鍵因素是提供支持的成人與積極的關係。若要學生具有積極的態度與行為,可以透過教學培養社會技能與情緒管理,並透過同儕調解和解決衝突方案。

WHAT IF PREVENTIVE MEASURES FAIL?
如果預防措施失敗要怎麼辦?

Every school should have a written crisis plan spelling out procedures for responding to a broad range of possible crises, including natural disasters, bomb threats, fire, homicide, and hostage situations (Stephens). The plan should designate individuals to handle specific tasks if a crisis occurs, and establish procedures for communicating among school staff and with parents, community agencies, and the media. Walker recommends that at least two people be assigned to coordinate each crisis-related task and that each school room have two means of communicating with the office, such as an intercom system and a cell phone or walkie-talkie.
每個學校都應該要有一個書面的危機處理計劃,裡面要有一個面對廣泛範圍可能的危機所應施行的程序,包括自然災害、炸彈威脅、火災、兇殺案、和有產生人質的情況。這個計劃應指定個人所應處理的特定任務,如果危機發生,要建立溝通程序給相關工作成員、學校、家長、社區機構及媒體。至少要有兩個人被分配到與危機有關的任務來進行協調,而每間學校教室都要有兩個途徑和聯絡處來進行,像是對講系統、手機或無線對講機。

When creating the plan, schools should coordinate with police, fire, medical, and other agencies and determine what local, state, and federal resources exist for crisis and postcrisis help (Dwyer). Information explaining the plan should be distributed to all members of the school community, and all school staff should receive crisis training. Students and staff should practice evacuation and other crisis procedures as routinely as fire drills (Hamby, Dwyer and others).
當建立計劃時,學校應該配合當地或州上警方、消防、醫療等機構,以及聯邦對於危機發生與後續協助的資源。所有的資訊應該要發放給所有學校所有的成員,而所有學校的成員都應接受危機訓練。學生和工作人員應要練習進行疏散及其他危機的應變,像是定期的消防演習。

The plan should include procedures for handling the aftermath of a crisis: for example, a prepared press release describing how information will be transmitted, including locations for press conferences (HADG). Districts should coordinate with community mental-health professionals to provide immediate and long-term psychological support for affected staff, students, and parents (Dwyer and others).
該計劃包括如何將危機善後處理:例如,準備好要傳遞給外界的新聞稿,包括舉行記者會的地點。學區應有社區心衛專業人士,給予應危機受影響的學校員工、學生和家長提供即時與長期的心理支持。

Even the most valiant efforts cannot make schools completely secure. But administrators can reduce the likelihood of crime and violence and ameliorate their impact by taking preventive steps and preparing effective responses.
即使是盡最大的努力也不能使學校完全安全。但是校長可以減少犯罪和暴力的可能性,並藉由採取預防措施和預備有效的反應來改善他們的影響。

資料來源:http://www.ericdigests.org/2000-3/security.htm

2011年6月6日 星期一

Conflict Resolution Education: Four Approaches 衝突解決教育:四種方法

PROCESS CURRICULM APPROACH
流程課程的方法

The Peace Education Foundation (PEF) provides a grade-level-specific curriculum for prekindergarten through grade 12 that has a unified sequence of content and skills. To entrench conflict resolution in schools, PEF programs are purposefully tied to school improvement.
和平教育基金會提供一個從就讀幼稚園前到12年級以年級的具體課程,它具有統一性質並安排完善的課程內容與技巧。為了鞏固學校中的衝突解決,和平教育基金會的課程方案有目的性地試著對學校進行改善。

The content of the PEF curriculum is grouped into five components:
和平教育基金會所訂定的課程內內包含了五大事項

•community building,
•understanding conflict,
•perception (understanding different viewpoints),
•anger management, and
•rules for fighting fair.
•溝通的建立
•了解衝突
•個人知覺(了解不同的觀點)
•情緒管理
•公平對抗的規則

PEF's curriculum also includes mediation in grades 4 through 12. It provides instructions for training peer mediators and overseeing a school-based mediation program.
和平教育基金會的課程也包含4至12年級的調解,它提供給訓練中的同儕調解者指導教學,也監督學校本位調解方案。

MEDIATION PROGRAM APPROACH
調解方案的方法

Said a fourth-grade mediator from Wilmette, Illinois, "We help kids who are fighting talk about their problems. Some people think kids can't help other kids solve their problems. But we can. It's real neat because we don't work out things for kids who are fighting. They solve their own problems, and we help."
一位在伊利諾州學校中四年級的調解者認為調解者的作用並非是提供解決方案給學生,而是幫助學生讓他們自己能找到解決方案,並且學習到這種能力來協助其他遇到問題的學生。

That expresses the core idea behind the mediation program approach: teaching children and adults to mediate, or help disputants find their own solution to a disagreement. The Peer Mediation Schools Program, developed by the New Mexico Center for Dispute Resolution (NMCDR), trains the staff and the entire student body in the mediation process. The program's components are teacher modeling, a curriculum, and mediation, and it is designed for use in diversified settings.
其調解方案背後的核心思想方法有下列幾種:像是去教導孩子和成人進行調解、幫助爭執中的雙方能找到自己的解決方案。「同儕調解學校方案」是在新墨西哥州的爭執解決中心所發展出來的,它訓練學校成員和全體學生進行調解流程,課程的內容包含教師示範、課程編寫及調解實務,而且這是在多元背景下所設計的。

Staff members are presented with several options, ranging from pledging general support for the program to referring students to mediation and encouraging participation in the process to participating in mediation training and serving as a staff mediator.
工作人員呈現了多種選項,提供普遍性的支持來使學生進行調解與鼓勵參與調解訓練和成員調解者。

The curriculum is mandatory in elementary school and optional in middle and high school. The curriculum teaches and reinforces communication, develops vocabulary and concepts related to conflict, and develops problem-solving skills at the elementary level. At the secondary level, a 15-lesson curriculum teaches and reinforces communication skills, problem solving, and anger management.
在小學中的課程是強制性的,而在初中和高中則是選擇性的。課程講授的內容以加強溝通、發展有關衝突的語彙及概念,並在小學階段發展問題解決的技巧。而在中學階段則設有15堂的課程及溝通技巧、問題解決及情緒管理。

2011年6月1日 星期三

Trends and Issues: Role of the School Leader 趨勢與議題:學校領導者的角色

Instructional Leadership 教學領導

The School Principal as Leader in Reading Instruction.
學校校長應被視為閱讀教學的領導人

Standards Principles for Principals. Standards for Excellence in Education.
對校長的標準原則。在卓越教育中的標準

The Effects of Principal Succession in an Accelerated School.
校長的影響對一所加速學校的成功

The Principal's Guide to Raising Reading Achievement.
校長的指導對閱讀成績的提升

Seven Steps to Effective Instructional Leadership.
有效教學領導的七個步驟

Handbook of Instructional Leadership: How Really Good Principals Promote Teaching and Learning.
教學領導手冊:真正好的校長如何去提高教學和學校

總結:


從所有文獻資料中,我們可歸結出三項重點,


一、校長對學校的學習文化及教學具有極大的責任。


二、教學領導提供教學上的引導、自主性的教學時間及正向的鼓勵,對於教師專業發展有極大的幫助,也激勵了教師在教學上的態度。


三、校長應掌握課程發展的脈動,除了提供整體課程發展的方向外,對於教學評價與評量也必須參與,評價是連續的,而不斷提供反饋給教師,創造更好的教學模式。


而文摘中也提到良好教學領導的步驟


(1)建立和實施教學目標
(2)為您的團隊成員隨時預備著
(3)創造一個有利於學習的學校文化和氣候
(4)與成員溝通學校的願景和使命
(5)為您的團隊成員設置高度期望,
(6)發展教師領導者
(7)對學生、教職員及家長保持積極的態度。 

2011年5月19日 星期四

Changing culture: improving curriculum leadership 改變中的文化:更好的課程領導

Hospitals, prisons and banks are easily recognised and separated by their differing institutional cultures. Likewise schools are easily identified (it is almost impossible to walk past a school and not know that it is a school). This ’generic culture’ of schools is reflected in their similarities in terms of norms, rituals and traditions, and actions, and it is this shared vision that underpins culture. There are subtle variations in generic culture that reflect whether a school is junior, secondary, private or state. Government education policy is often aimed at changing schools’ generic culture.
醫院、監獄和銀行都很容易去辨認與分類它們的特有的機構文化。同樣地學校也很容易去識別它們的文化(幾乎不可能經過學校建築而不知道這是一所學校)。學校的共通文化反映在他們的某些規範、禮儀、傳統及行動,而正是這種共同的願景來支持其文化。在各種類的學校中都會出現一種普遍的文化,而政府的教育政策往往改變了學校共通的文化。

Because teachers and pupils possess a degree of freedom of choice and the capacity to interpret and reinterpret the ‘generic culture’ of schools, they create their own ‘unique culture’. Predominant values in a school provide insiders with distinctive inhouse rules for ‘getting on and getting by’, which are the basis of a school’s ‘unique culture’. The difference between ‘generic’ and ‘unique’ culture is recognised and reflected in teacher folklore — ‘all schools are the same but different’.
因為老師和學生有一定程度的選擇自由及能力來解釋及重新塑造學校的共通文化,所以他們能創造自己獨特的文化。學校中的主觀價值觀提供給校內人士一種「應許並通行」的鮮明內規,這是一所學校“獨特文化”的基礎。很容易去分辦“共通”與“獨特”文化的不同,這也反映在教師習俗中,那即是“所有的學校都是一樣的,但是也是不一樣的。”

Four idealised schools
四種理想的學校
Ours is a really friendly school and we believe in people getting on, whether it’s staff with staff, teachers with students or the kids among themselves. Nobody gives of their best unless they feel valued and wanted — so that’s where our educational philosophy begins. Social development is as important as academic development and what doesn’t get noticed in exams we hope gets reflected in our personal, social and health education (PSHE) work and in students’ records of achievement. Of course, some students have lots of problems at home and although we obviously can’t solve all of those, we can’t just ignore them either. It’s a caring school and the staff are cared about as well as the students. (on yellow card)
(在黃色的卡片上寫著)我們是一個非常友善的學校,而且我們相信人們都沉醉其中,無論是工作人員、教師與孩子們都會互相幫助。除非他們感到受重視,要不然他們不會付出最好的一面,所以這就是我們教育理念的開始。學術發展對社會發展也是同樣重要,我們所希望的不是希望只有關注在考試的成績上,而是在個人、社會及健康教育及學生的成就發展都要關注。當然有些學生在家庭裡有很多的問題,而且雖然我們能很明顯地發現很難去解決它們,我們不能去忽略他們,充滿愛心的學校會關心學校成員及學生。

It’s no soft option being a teacher here. It’s OK if you’re a strong sort of person with lots of self-confidence. If you’re not, well it can be hard controlling the students and getting any work out of some classes. I can’t say I’m really happy about the direction the school’s taking and morale in the staffroom isn’t what it might be. I get by, and generally keep myself to myself. After all, teaching’s just a job and you have to have your own private life as well. I don’t think the place gets the best out of me, and to be honest if the school were inspected tomorrow and they saw us as we really are, we’d get a bad report. The trouble is I don’t really think there’s much chance of any major improvement for teachers or students without a very radical shake-up. (on blue card)
(在藍色的卡片上寫著)在這裡想要當一位老師並不是軟弱的決定。如果你是一個堅強且有高度自信的人是ok的。如果你沒有這種特質,那麼就很可能很難去掌控學生,以及處理課堂上的所有事務。我不能說我很滿意我在學校發展的方向及工作成員氛圍能符合我的期待。但我有所獲得,並且能忠於自我。畢竟,教學不僅僅是一份工作,你也必須要有自己的私人生活。我不認為我從這個地方得到最好的,說實在話,如果學校在明天對我們進行視察,而他們看到真實一面後,我們會有一個不好的評價,而麻煩的是,我不覺得這會對教師和學生有任何重大改善的機會。

Our philosophy is to educate the whole person, not just the bits that fit schools. Of course, we accept that exams matter and there’s quite a bit of pressure on students to give of their best. But we also believe that the social and emotional side of young people needs to be developed too, and every teacher is involved in pastoral care as well as the academic side of teaching. You could describe relationships as close — we’re quite a close staff and that spills over to the students too. Team spirit is part of the ethos and there’s not much room for loners. You have to give one hundred per cent here: teaching is emotionally as well as intellectually draining, so we all need the holidays to recharge ourselves for the next term. (on green card)
(在綠色的卡片上寫著)我們的理念是培養全面發展的人,而不是只有一所合適的學校。當然我們接受考試,而且學校給予最好的一切,有著相當多的壓力。但我們也認為,年輕人在社會和情感方面也需要發展,每個教師參與心靈及學術方面的教學。你能描述出人際關係是親密的—我們的工作成員及所有其他的學生都是十分的親密。團隊精神是民族精神的一部分,而且對於孤立的人不會有立足之地。你必須要給予一個完全的位置:教學是情緖與知能的灌溉,所以我們都需要假日來為我們的下一個階段充電。

We regard ourselves as a well-disciplined sort of school, one that sets store on traditional values. The head runs the place as something of a ‘tight ship’ with high expectations of us teachers. There’s a strong emphasis on student learning and everybody’s very proud when we do. We also like to do well in games and athletics, which is another important aspect of achievement. We expect students to be fairly independent and not to be mollycoddled. We’re clear what the school stands for and what we’re about, so we are naturally rather suspicious of trendy ideas, and put more trust in what’s been shown to work best through past experience. (on pink card)
(在粉紅色卡片上寫著)我們將自己視為一所紀律嚴明的學校,首先傳統的價值觀深植在校中。領導者對於每一件事都是嚴加管理,對於教師也有很高的期待,也非常重視學生的學習表現,每個人都我們所做的非常自豪。我們也同樣想要將遊戲與競技作好,這些是學生成就的另一個重要面向。我們期望學生能相對獨立,同時也不溺愛他們。我們很清楚學校代表的是什麼,而我們的角色是什麼,所以我們自然而不用質疑這種趨勢的理念,並透過過去的經驗,信任我們所認為的最好的工作。

Misconceptions to avoid
避免迷思概念

Do not assume that culture can be manipulated like other matters under your control
Do not assume that there is a ‘correct’ or ‘better’ school culture
Do not assume that ‘strong’ cultures are better than ‘weak’ cultures
Do not assume that focusing on how people relate to each other in the school you can label that aspect ‘the culture’ — this can be a dangerous trap because it draws attention away from shared basic assumptions about the aim of education, which is to teach pupils
Do not assume that culture can be manipulated like other matters under the control of managers
Culture controls the manager more than the manager controls culture, through the habitual filters that prejudice major perceptions
不要認為文化可以像其他你所能控制的事物般去操縱
不要假定有一個“正確”或“較佳”的學校文化
不要認為“強勢文化”贏過“弱勢文化”
不要認為去聚焦人們如何在學校與他人接觸,你就能貼上文化的標籤,這可能是一個危險的陷阱,因為你所注意的東西可能已經從學校教育目標的基本假定中抽離
不要認為文化能夠像其他管理者所控制的事物一樣能被操縱
透過對偏見主要知覺的一種習慣性過濾,文化去控制管理者比管理者去控制文化來得多

Teaching cultures
教學中的文化

Individualism — these are schools that are bounded in metaphors of classrooms as egg-crates or castles, where autonomy, isolation and insulation prevail, and blame and support are avoided.
個人主義—把教室隱喻為雞蛋箱或城堡的學校是有疆界的,教室有自主性、隔離、絕緣,而責備和支持是被避免的

Collaboration — teachers choose, spontaneously and voluntarily, to work together, without an external control agenda. Forms vary from ‘comfortable’ activities, such as sharing ideas and materials, to more rigorous forms, including mutual observation and focused reflective enquiry.
協作—教師選擇、自發自願,共同工作,也沒有外部的控制議程。舒適活動的形式不一,如交流想法和材料,一直到嚴格的形式,包含相互觀察和聚焦在反思的探究

Contrived collegiality — where teachers’ collaborative working relationships are compulsorily imposed, with fixed times and places set for collaboration, for example planning meetings during their preparation time.
人為的合議—這種讓教師的協同工作關係是強制推行的,有固定的時間和地點進行合作,例如從他們的準備時間就計畫會議

Balkanisation — where teachers are neither isolated nor work as a whole school. Smaller collaborative groups form, for example within secondary school departments, between infant and junior teachers, and class teachers and resource support teachers.
分散的情況—在那裡的教師既不是孤立的,也不是為整個學校工作。是較小的協作團體形式,例如各國中學校之間,初任教師與資深老師,以及導師和資源支持教師

2011年5月9日 星期一

Data-Driven School Improvement. 以資料為導向的學校改善

WHAT TYPES OF DATA SHOULD BE COLLECTED?
應該收集什麼類型的資料?

Data are endemic in educational settings. As Richard Wallace (1996) reports, "School districts usually gather much more data than they can effectively use." The challenge is to analyze the information and use it wisely. Many believe the logical starting point is to make better use of existing or archival data (Wallace, Emily Calhoun 1994, McLean). These data include statistics on attendance, grades, referrals, retentions, and standardized-test results. When compiled and reported on a regular basis, archival data provide a baseline of school operations and can be used to make comparisons among similar schools.
收集資料在教育環境中是很特別的,一項報導指出學區收集資料的程度比有效使用資料來得多,但目前重要的是要如何分析資訊和正確使用。許多人認為應該要好好利用已有的資料或存檔的數據。而這些數據包括了統計出勤率、成績、轉介、留級與標準化的測驗結果。定期去收集與回報,這些檔案資料可以維持學校的基本運作,並提供同類型學校進行比較。

With minimal effort, these data can often be disaggregated or broken down. Often done by grade, gender, race, or socioeconomic background, disaggregation can reveal previously unrecognized patterns that, in turn, may suggest areas in need of improvement.
通常不需什麼努力就能將資料分類或分解,通常資料分類的方式是由年級、性別、種族或社經背景,藉由分類來了解過去未能得知的資訊,另一方面也可能形成建議來改善教育。

With varying degrees of effort, other classes of data can be collected. Examples include survey results, interviews, numbers of books read, and other information on student achievement. These data typically require development of a means to collect and analyze the information (Calhoun). Data that may be more difficult to collect and interpret objectively include evaluations of student work, such as portfolios and exhibitions.
而不同程度的資料收集,反映在資料的型態上,就好比調查結果、訪談、書目閱讀或學生成就的其他資料。這些資料通常需要利用一些手段來收集和分析。這類的資料通常比較難收集,也較難去客觀評價學生的作業。

SHOULD TEACHERS SERVE AS RESEARCHERS?
教師是否應該像研究人員一樣?

Traditionally, educational researchers have been the ones to proclaim various educational practices as either effective or ineffective. Principles of effective instruction are often drawn from large-scale studies.
過去以來,教育研究人員已經公佈各種有效與無效的教育方式。而有效的教學原則往往是來自大規模的研究。

However, teachers do not work in large-scale, static settings. They face unique sets of students who respond variably to different strategies. Hence applying academic research findings to individual classrooms can be problematic.
但是教師是不可能作這種靜態的大型研究。他們所面對的是每個獨特而隨時變化的學生,要用不同的教學策略。因此學術研究的成果要應用到教師的教學上可能會產生問題。

One alternative to overreliance on the findings of large-scale studies is for educators to assume the role of researcher. By studying their students, teachers can bring the academic findings down to earth, as it were, and discover what works in their specific classroom.
過度地依賴這種大規模研究的結果,教育工作者往往會把自己當成是研究人員一樣。教師會變成希望透過研究自己的學生,而有一種學術成果。

Susan Black (1996) equates teacher research to the work done by anthropologists or ethnographers. "They are able to observe the cultural scene closely...and create a research record of the people, places, events and objects within it, as well as their own personal interactions and responses." By using the classroom as laboratory, teachers can, for example, learn whether interdisciplinary teaching is as effective with their remedial students as with their high achievers.
Susan從人類學家或人種學家的角度來看教師工作的內容,她認為教師能觀察教室的文化氛圍…並建立研究記錄,當中的人事物以及其互動和回應。透過教室、實驗室的利用,教師是可以完成研究的,像是了解跨學科的教學與輔導學生自我效能。

Research conducted by teachers differs from academic research (Black). First, academic researchers strive for objectivity, keeping the subjects of their study at arm's length. Teachers, in contrast, maintain a close relationship with the objects of their study. Academics try to design and control events under study while teachers observe activities as they occur in the real world, namely their classes. Finally, traditional researchers seek to globalize results while teachers know that their findings apply only to the students in their classes.
教師所進行的研究是不同於學術研究的。第一,學術研究人員是講求客觀,儘可能不要涉入研究對象中,但教師卻相反,反而要跟研究對象保持密切關係。其次,學術人員強調設計與控制事件,但教師則是在研究中觀察活動,因為這些動活是發生在真實的世界中。最後,學術人員期望能找到一個通則而適用全世界,但教師只知道他們的研究結果適用在班級上課的學生。

Such small-scale studies are often termed action research, because the teacher-researcher takes action based on the results of his or her findings. The research may be formal or informal, short- or long-term. But it is based on the understanding that the results are collected from a set of students and the action is applied to those same students (Calhoun, Molly Watt and Daniel Watt 1991).
這種小規模的研究往往被稱為是行動研究,因為教師和研究者是基於他的研究發現而採取行動。這種研究的結果可能是正式也可能是非正式的,是一種短期也可能是長期的研究。但基本上對於教師而言是對一群學生收集資料後,然後在這群學生身上採取行動。

2011年5月3日 星期二

The School Culture學校文化

Implications
啟示
The informal rules that govern behavior in schools appear to play a significant role in the institutionalization of school improvement efforts. Those norms that facilitate change must be widely internalized in order to encourage movement toward the goal of changing the school. Not only teachers, but students as well need to internalize the norms of the school improvement culture.

Norms that encourage introspection and critical inquiry about the strengths and weaknesses of the school are needed. These norms encourage criticism in order to highlight areas that need improvement. When criticism is silenced, change efforts are hindered. An expectation that information, resources and training will be provided to address problem areas creates the norm of continuous improvement needed for lasting change. A clear vision of the school when the change is successfully implemented and how implementation will occur needs to be developed among all those in the school. This shared vision provides support for the change effort and relieves anxieties. Participation in decision making by all those involved is another aspect of the school improvement culture.

Change is a threat to a culture.
The introduction of planned change challenges the status quo and forces staff members to compare their current cultural content with the innovation (Rossman, Corbett, & Firestone, 1988; Sarason, 1982). Cultural change is also anxiety producing because the assumptions that stabilize the world must be given up (Schein, 1985). When the existing norms of the school are those that encourage introspection, improvement, and involvement, change is encouraged. Encouraging the development of these norms is an important aspect of leadership for change. Change is a threat to a culture.
非正式的規範對於制度化的學校有著重要作用,為了鼓勵學校朝向變革的目標邁進,這些非正式規範必須要獲得廣泛的認同,不僅是教師,學生也必須內化這些改善學校文化的非正式規範。鼓勵反省與批判學校優劣處的規範是必要的,這些規範鼓勵批判是為了改進,沒有批判的聲音就沒有改善,故提供資訊、資源與培訓將使得規範得以持續解決問題而不是限制。明確的學校目標、共同願景及參與式決策都是讓學校文化持續改善的方法。

Relationships
關係
Just as the attitudes and beliefs of persons both inside and outside the school affect change and the norms of the school, relationships between persons and groups of persons are part of the school culture that can either facilitate or impede change. The relationships teachers have with each other, their students, and the community affect change. In like manner, the relationships between students and their peers, teachers, and the school as a whole can help or hinder school improvement efforts. This section examines these relationships. Relationships between the principal and others is examined later in this paper.

Teacher relationships with teachers. The ways in which the physical surroundings in schools contribute to isolation of teachers was discussed earlier in this paper. Developing collaborative work cultures helps reduce the professional isolation of teachers, allows the sharing of successful practices and provides support. Collaboration raises morale, enthusiasm, and the teachers' sense of efficacy and makes teachers more receptive to new ideas (Fullan, 1991; Simpson, 1990; Smith & Scott, 1990).

Collegiality, which according to Barth (1990), is frequently confused with congeniality, is difficult to establish in schools. Little (1981) describes collegiality as a norm exhibited through four specific behaviors: Adults in schools who have a collegial relationship talk about practice. They also observe each other engaged in the practice of teaching and administration. Colleagues engage together in work on curriculum by planning, designing, researching, and evaluating it. Finally, collegiality is exhibited when adults teach each other what they know about teaching, learning, and leading.
學校成員間的關係一樣會影響學校文化,接下來就開始探討學校間不同主體的關係影響作用。
首先我們談到教師與教師間的關係,本文前面有提到物理設施會影響教師間的隔閡,而形塑共同的工作文化則有助於教師專業發展合作,例如共享成功案例、提供教學支持。而合作進一步提高士氣、積極性與教師效能感,使教師更容易接受新的想法。成員共治(Collegiality)是一項有效的作用,教師能相互分享教學、學習和領導的技巧。

Barth (1990) suggests that a number of outcomes may be associated with collegiality:
Decisions tend to be better. Implementation of decisions is better. There is a higher level of morale and trust among adults. Adult learning in energized and more likely to be sustained. There is even some evidence that motivation of students and their achievement rises, and evidence that when adults share and cooperate, students tend to do the same.�The relationships among adults in schools allow, energize, and sustain all other attempts at school improvement. Unless adults talk with one another, observe one another, and help one another, very little will change. (p. 31)

Collegial relationships facilitate change because change involves learning to do something new, and interaction is the primary basis for social learning. New meanings, new behaviors, new skills, and new beliefs depend significantly on whether teachers are working as isolated individuals (Goodlad, 1984; Sarason, 1982) or are exchanging ideas, support, and positive feelings about their work (Fullan, 1991). Deal and Kennedy (1982) reinforce the idea that those interested in change must be aware that peer group consensus will be the major influence on acceptance or willingness to change. People will change more readily as a result of a desire to have personal ties with others.

As the antithesis of collegiality, faculty factions undermine efforts to successfully implement change by sidetracking, stalling, or stopping the change process (Corbett, Dawson, & Firestone, 1984). The need for collegiality bears consideration by those who would initiate change. Schlechty and Cole (1991) note that the ways in which changes are introduced may breed rivalry among teachers. Thus an important leadership responsibility of leaders who work within the cultural perspective is supporting collegial interactions between teachers (Sergiovanni & Corbally, 1986).
成員共治會促進學校文化的改變,因為社會學習的主要基礎就是藉由互動學習新事物,教師是否是孤立,或者是否有意見與情感上的支持與交換,皆會影響他們的行為、技能與觀念。

Student relationships with teachers. The body of literature addressing students as players in school improvement is noticeably thin. As Fullan (1991) points out, students are typically seen only as the potential beneficiaries of change rather than as participants in the process of change. This traditional view of students is reflected in the observations of Fine (1991). The principal of the high school in Fine's study seemed to believe that merely telling students what to do, without their involvement, would compel their compliance. Due to their findings regarding the close relationship between teachers and student attitudes, Firestone and Rosenblum (1988) agree that the role of high school students in school improvement activities needs to be evaluated. Students are rarely informed regarding plans in spite of the fact that the plans cannot be carried out successfully when students are not committed to cooperate with the plan, and do not know what to do or how to do it. (Fullan, 1991)

Fullan (1991) explains how students can exercise negative power to reject what is being imposed. High school students often negotiate a "live and let live" relationship with teachers that allows some students to be left alone as long as they do not disrupt classroom life. This presents a barrier to change by protecting the status quo. Effective change in schools involves as much cognitive and behavioral change on the part of students as for anyone else (Fullan, 1991).

Firestone and Rosenblum (1988) found in their study of ten urban high schools that teacher and student commitment are mutually reinforcing. When teachers demonstrate respect, high expectations, and support for students, students respond to them in positive ways. In the same way, teachers' commitment is influenced by the response they get from students.

Wilson and Corcoran (1988, cited in Fullan, 1991), in a study of 571 effective secondary schools, showed how school context creates "conditions of teaching" that influence "learning environments" for students (p. 176). "Teacher expectations influence student behavior, and expectations vary for different types of students" (Fullan, 1991, p. 177). Some teachers blame students for difficult classroom situations. These beliefs are reflected in actions such as displaying an "attitude" to students, abrupt responses to students, and less detailed explanations (Firestone & Rosenblum, 1988). Students' commitment to the school is reduced, Firestone and Rosenblum found, when they recognize that they are not respected. According to Fullan (1991), "at-risk students are more likely to find themselves in such situations" (p. 175). Bryk and Thum (1989) found, in their study of the High School and Beyond data base, that absenteeism is less prevalent in schools where teachers are interested in, and interact with, students and where there is an emphasis on academics "within an environment that is safe and orderly" (p. 377).
接下來談到學生與教師的關係。文獻指出學生在學校改善的過程中扮演的角色影響力微乎其微,因為學生僅僅是被當作潛在的受益者而非參與者。Fine的研究指出學生僅被告知規範而不能參與,對學生形成壓迫。學生很少被告知學校計畫的內容,而就算知道學校的政策也無法改變事實,只能被動承諾配合學校。
學生經常談論到與教師的“相處之道”,教師寧可讓一些學生停學也不要讓他們擾亂課堂。這種現況就是改變學校文化的障礙。
Firestone與Rosenblum的研究發現,教師與學生之間的承諾是相輔相成的,當教師對學生有正向期望並支持學生時,學生就會以積極的方式回應。而教師承諾也因學生的回應而反應給學生。所以學校教師與學生應強調互動,建立良好的正向教師期望,讓學生感受學校是安全而有秩序的環境。

Student peer relationships.
學生同儕的關係
At-risk youth share with all students the need for group membership, the need for positive relationships with adults, the need to acquire skills and knowledge, and the need to develop a sense of competence (Wehlage, Rutter, Smith, Lesko, & Fernandez, 1989). "Minority students in non-urban schools may develop their self-esteem and perceive their [ability to control situations] in ways that work against their acceptance of school values and participation in important school activities" (Houston, 1991,p. 65). These students feel confident in their ability to achieve goals established by peers who share the same culture. According to Houston (1991), this is contrasted with a perception among minority students that the school's values have little worth and the students have little ability to control or have an impact on positive outcomes in school.

Development of a feeling of belonging to a group is actively sought by all students (Purkey & Smith,1983; Cuban, 1989). According to Deal (1985), a well documented result of peer relationships is the effect of subcultural membership on educational outcomes. Student leaders, or heroes, significantly affect the scholastic tone of a school -- and subsequently, student behavior and performance (Deal, 1985). Taylor (1989) found that gang subcultures that engage in drug trafficking for enormous profits cause education to have limited appeal to many students.
邊緣學生需要分享團隊中的成員關係,也需要正向的成人關係,需要技能與知識、需要發展競爭的意念,根據研究顯示,學校文化對於少數族群的學生的自我效能及自我調節有很大的影響,然而學生本身建立的文化相對於學校文化卻很少能去影響並產生正向積極的成果。所有的學生都積極尋求這種感受的發展,這可以稱之為一種次文化,這種次文化的表現深入地影響了學校的教育,像是學生的領袖或者是學生所認為的“英雄”。

School, teacher and student -- A community of caring. Teachers and students need to believe they are being treated with decency and fairness by those at other levels (Deal & Kennedy, 1982; Firestone & Wilson, 1991). When many of their personal and professional needs are satisfactorily met through their work environment, teachers are able to transmit to students a sense of interest and caring for their academic endeavors and their personal lives. In schools with a strong community sense, teachers feel less isolated, have more social support, and are more likely to find help from colleagues with work-related problems. Teachers can also establish and find value in attachment to students and communicate to them their belief in the importance of academic work (Bryk & Driscoll, 1988).

A school context that forms a sense of community is necessary to promote the cognitive and emotional growth of students (Purkey & Asby, 1988; Smey-Richman, 1991). This context is noncompetitive and emphasizes a personal and caring relationship with teachers who are empathetic to students. Druian and Butler's (1987) study found that a family atmosphere in a school will reduce the likelihood that students reject the school. Successful school programs have in common "a model of community, an extended family where achievement is important and so is caring for one another" (Wehlage, 1988, p. 31).
當個人需求和職業需求能符合他們的工作環境,教師就能夠傳達給學生正向的回饋,並且維護他們的學術事業和個人生活,透過學校文化的建立,教師不再有孤立的感,而有更多的社會支持。學校是需要形成社群意識以增進學生的情感與認知,社群意識並非是競爭的,而是強調個人的關懷,研究發現,成功的學校課程有一個共同的社群意識,那就是互相關懷。

Care should be taken, however, to avoid the negative effects of what Miller, Leinhardt and Zigmond (1988) describe as accommodation. They define accommodation as a concern for student needs that is reflected in the administrative processes that govern the school. Allowing students to "buy back" unexcused absences by attending an afterschool program in order to pass a course or simplifying curriculum so that students will have less difficulty are cited as examples of accommodation. Negative side effects that may occur from accommodation are students' expectations that accommodations will always be made, a lack of active student engagement with the content of instruction and increased student boredom and apathy (Miller, Leinhardt, & Zigmond, 1988).

Parent, community and school relationships. The lack of strong school/community partnerships inhibits high performance. Schools where parents and teachers are supportive of each other and have close relationships acquire a more community atmosphere (Bryk & Driscoll, 1988). Parents need to be involved as co-teachers in their children's education. To isolate the school from the broader community overlooks this need for a sense of mutual purpose and partnership (Pallas, et al., 1987).
但是要注意的是來自負面的影響,過度強調關懷而沒有講求學習成就反而讓學生對於教學的內容興緻缺缺,增加了學生的厭倦和冷漠。
而最後談到家長、社區和學校的關係,學者認為家長需要共同參與子女的教育,家長和社區對於學校教育都有共同的目的和意義,是一同努力的夥伴關係。

Implications
啟示
Collegial relationships in the school facilitate change. These relationships assist in learning the new practices of the school improvement effort and reduce isolation. If teachers choose not to participate in collegial relationships, or decision making, school improvement initiatives will not enjoy sustained implementation. The creation and nurturance of a school culture that encourages and supports these types of cooperative relationships falls on those who lead the school improvement effort.

The relationships between students and teachers and students and their peers can facilitate or impede change. When teachers are interested in students and demonstrate respect for them, a community of caring is nurtured. This community sense reduces isolation and alienation discussed in earlier sections as a factor that impedes change. When many students feel this sense of community, their need for positive relationships with adults and group membership may be satisfied in ways that mesh the student culture with the school culture in positive ways. A connection with the broader community outside the school is also needed to support the school improvement culture.
共治的關係促使學校改進,改善上述的關係有助於新的實踐與改善並減少隔閡,如果教師不參與學校事務,那麼學校是不能改進的,建立和維護學校文化能使得合作關係得到支持並得以改善學校。而教師和學生間的關係及學生同儕間的關係也是會促進並改變學校文化,透過關係的改善,學生文化和學校文化將能以正向積極的方式發展。

資料來源:http://www.sedl.org/change/school/culture.html

2011年4月27日 星期三

Shared Decision-Making共享式決策

HOW IS THE PRINCIPAL'S ROLE CHANGED IN SDM?
校長角色在SDM中如何轉變?

SDM does not replace the principal as a decision-maker on all issues, Bauer emphasizes. Instead, the principal becomes "part of a team of decision makers" and will likely make decisions on issues outside the scope of the SDM group or committees. The principal plays a critical role in establishing and maintaining SDM.
SDM並不是取代了校長作決策的能力,相反地,校長變成決策團隊中的一部分,透過SDM團隊或委員會來進行決策,校長扮演的是建立及維持SDM的重要角色。

David Stine (1993) describes the principal's new role as an organizer, adviser, and consensus builder, who takes advantage of the group's thinking. Bauer calls principals who utilize SDM "internal consultants" who provide the staff with current research and advice. Others emphasize the facilitative aspects, such as finding space and time for staff to meet, helping groups work effectively together, and minimizing distractions and obstacles for SDM participants. The principal helps a school become ready for SDM by promoting a noncompetitive, trusting climate, creating opportunities for staff to express ideas, and placing a priority on professional development.
學者David則描述了校長的新角色,校長如同組織者、顧問及建立共識者,是一位採納團隊思考的人。Bauer則稱使用SDM的校長,是能夠提供工作團隊當前的研究和諮詢的內部顧問。其他強調能促進的方面像是為工作團隊會面而尋找地點和時間,幫助組織有效地共同工作,並為SDM的參與者盡量減少干擾和障礙。校長藉由非競爭性、任信氣氛、讓員工有發聲機會及優先協助專業發展,幫助學校準備就緒使用SDM

WHAT FACTORS ARE IMPORTANT FOR SDM'S SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION?
那些是SDM的成功實施因素?

Several important guidelines have been suggested by SDM pioneers:
下列是由實施SDM的先驅所提供的幾個重要的指導方針:

* Start small, go slowly. Evidence on the adoption of innovations, say Gene Hall and Gary Galluzzo (1991), suggests that SDM will be most successful if carried out in small steps rather than "wholesale changes" foreign to your school and participants. Analyze your school's needs, then adapt selected processes that meet your local situation; additional components can be added when the staff is ready.
「由小部分做起,並且應當慢慢來」,透過小步驟的實施而非全面性的改變,SDM將是最成功的。應先分析學校的需求,然後當工作團隊已準備就緒後,選擇符合學校情況的實施流程。

* Agree on specifics at the outset. There is no single "right" way to do SDM; it depends on what you want from it. Many schools develop one decision-making team or council; others use several groups or committees. Unless mandated, decide who will be involved (Will you include students, parents, community members, and outside consultants?), the size of the group (Stine suggests nine to seventeen members), and how to ensure that the group will be representative. Determine how decisions will be made (majority vote or consensus) and who will make the final decisions on issues.
「一開始就要決定好實施的細節」,實施SDM沒有唯一正確的方式,它取決於你想如何實施,許多學校發展單一決策小組或委員會,而有些學校則有多數。要決定是誰參與其中(包括學生、家長、社區成員和外部諮詢者)?,小組的規模要多大(學者Stine建議九到十七名成員)?以及如何確保該團隊能具有代表性?決定要如要作出(多數表決或達成共識)?及誰做出最後的決定?

* Be clear about procedures, roles, and expectations. Lack of clarity leads to lack of progress with SDM. Staff members need to understand what steps and procedures are to be followed before decisions are made. Allen and Glickman learned that "unclear processes created confusion that fragmented people's actions," while clear processes empowered participants. Groups also need to understand whether they are a decision-making body or an advisory one; it is demoralizing for groups to think they are making decisions only to have their decisions vetoed. At both her schools, Meadows found it useful to spell out the SDM process in writing.
「要有明確的程序、角色和期望」。SDM若不明確則會導致缺乏進展,團隊成員應在制定決策之前,需要瞭解哪些步驟和程序要先遵循。不明確的流程會導致人們行動的混亂,團隊也需要瞭解它們是否是一個決策機構或諮詢機構之一,團隊若只有在投票時才會作決策的能力,這會使得團隊感到洩氣。

* Give everyone a chance to get involved. Decisions made by administrative appointees as opposed to elected or volunteer representatives may be perceived as top-down decisions. Volunteer positions or task forces give people the opportunity to participate as much or as little as they want. "The more accessible the process was to all teachers," say Allen and Glickman, "the more positive feeling they had for the process."
「讓每個人都有機會參與決策」。相對於經由民選或志願者代表的決策,行政授權的決策被視為一種由上而下的決定。然而志願者或工作團隊的力量給予人們彈性的參與機會,教師越是能夠參與決策就越是對決策流程有正向的感覺。

* Build trust and support. If mistrust and apprehension exist between administrators and teachers, SDM is not easily accepted. Don't push solutions on the group or override decisions delegated to SDM teams. Lack of hierarchical support can also lead to failure. "If the culture outside the school does not change," say Hall and Galluzzo, "those inside the school will find it difficult to take charge of decision making."
「建立信任和支持」。如果行政管理者和教師之間存在著不信任和恐懼,SDM就越是不容易被接受。不要在團隊中強行推動解決方案,或是重寫SDM團隊的決策。沒有科層的支持,也可能導致失敗。

2011年4月19日 星期二

Critical Issue: Building a Committed Team 關鍵議題:建立一個有承諾的團隊

Kent Peterson, professor of educational administration, University of Wisconsin-Madison, challenges administrators to support team-building and collaboration by providing time and resources, in order to reap the benefits effective teams can bring to schools (audio comment, 313k). Excerpted from a presentation given at NCREL's Urban School Leadership Mini-Conference in July 1993. A text transcript is available.
Kent Peterson是美國威斯康辛大學麥迪遜分校的教育行政教授,他挑戰行政管理者藉由時間及資源的提供來支持團隊建設及合作,進而獲得有效能的團隊來對學校產生益處。(這是一份在研討會上的發表,部分摘錄於此,原文大意強調行政管理者與教師之間的合作十分重要,教師往往十分注意雙方的合作與資源的分配)

Transformational leadership skills can help in developing such high-performing teams. Leaders of school transformation must be able to inspire, motivate, and support teams. Engaged and high-performing teams thrive in a "learning organization," where colleagues support each other in learning, risk-taking, innovation, and change (Senge, 1990).
轉型領導技巧能幫助發展中的高效能團隊,學校轉型領導者必須能夠激勵、鼓舞和支持團隊。被雇用的高績效團隊茁壯成長為學習型組織,而學習型組織中同事能互相支持學習、冒險、創新和變化。

GOALS: School leaders (including administrators, teachers, and parents) should help nurture and build highly committed teams for accomplishing school activities and goals, which may include school improvement planning, site-based management, budget and personnel decisions, and implementing programs or plans.
目標:學校領導(包括行政管理者、教師及家長)應該幫助培養和建立為了實現學校活動和目標的高承諾團隊,其中可能包括學校改善計劃,現場本位管理、預算和人事決策、實施方案或計劃。

Former kindergarten teacher from Joyce Elementary School in Detroit, Diana Langlois, talks about how her principal supports team building and learning at the school and the benefits that have resulted (QuickTime slide show, 487k). Excerpted from NCREL's urban school leadership case studies (1992). A text transcript is available.
前幼稚園教師Diana則談論她的校長如何去支持團隊建立和學校,以及它的好處。(這是一份摘錄自NCREL城市學校領導的個案研究,她的校長Brown先生與教師及家長一同為學校的建設和學生的學習努力,和同事一同旅行、親自送孩子上學、為學校提出改善計劃等)

Effective team functioning requires finding time, selecting team members, empowering team members, providing training in relevant skills and knowledge, developing shared goals, and facilitating team functioning - particularly in the early stages of the team's work.
有效能的團隊運作需要花費時間,選擇團隊成員,賦予團隊成員權力、提供相關技能和知識的培訓、發展共同的目標、促進團隊運作-尤其是在初期階段的團隊工作。



IMPLEMENTATION PITFALLS:
實施的隱憂


The school staff and administration may not have the skills, knowledge, and capacities for effective teamwork.


學校工作成員及行政管理者對於有效能的團隊工作可能沒有足夠的技能、知識和能力。

Kent Peterson, professor of educational administration, University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses the challenges of collaboration and the need for coaching (audio comment, 210k). Excerpted from a presentation at NCREL's Urban School Leadership Mini-Conference in July 1993. A text transcript is available.
The team may not share clear goals or purposes, and therefore defining specific goals will be important.
Hargreaves, Fullan, and others (cited in Fullan, 1993) note that teams often face issues that can decrease the effectiveness of the team and specifically its ability to make decisions: (1) the time trade-offs in decisionmaking (team decisionmaking can take time away from working directly on classroom planning, curriculum, and instructional activities), (2) problems of "groupthink" and pressure to conform, and (3) the potential for increased conflict over decisionmaking.

Kent Peterson教授曾論述合作之挑戰及指導的需求。
團隊可能沒有清晰的目標或目的,因此確定具體目標將是重要的。
Fullan等學者指出團隊經常面臨團隊低效能的議題,而且特別是團隊本身決策的能力:

(1)   權衡時間的決策(團隊決策可能需要一段時間從工作中抽離在教室規劃、課程及教學活動)
(2)   順應集體思考的問題及壓力
(3)   在決策過程中的潛在衝突
Without adequate team training and preparation, it is unlikely that team(s) will work effectively to develop and realize a shared vision.
Katzenbach and Smith (1993) list the following requirements for building effective teams:
Teams must be small enough in the number of members.
Members must have adequate levels of complementary skills.
The team must have a truly meaningful purpose.
The team must have a specific goal or goals.
The team and its members must establish a clear approach to the team's work.
Members must have a sense of mutual accountability.
Without team leadership (as opposed to traditional top-down leadership), teams will be unproductive.

如果沒有足夠的團隊訓練和準備,這是不可能讓團隊工作有效地展並實現共同願景。
學者卡曾巴赫和史密斯則列出了有效團隊建立的要求:
團隊應要小而美,成員要精簡
團隊成員間的能力要有一定互補的能力水準
團隊要有一個真正有意義的目的
團隊必須有一個具體目標或多項目標
團隊及當中的成員必須建立一個明確的辦法以達成團隊工作
成員必須有意識的相互負起責任
如果沒有團隊領導(乃相對於傳統中上對下的領導),那麼團隊將毫無意義


Another potential barrier is individual resistance to working in teams.
DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW: Few people would deny that teams can be highly effective. But some believe that teams must face enormous obstacles before they can become effective in schools. Some teachers have never worked on teams and actually became teachers so that they could work independently. In other cases, staff and administrators have not been trained to cope with the special challenges of working in teams and practicing shared decisionmaking.
另一個潛在障礙是在團隊工作中的個人阻力
不一樣的觀點:
絕大多數的人都認為團隊可以非常有效能。但有些人認為,團隊必須面對巨大的障礙才能成為有效能的學校。有的老師從來沒有在團隊中工作,但是實際成為教師後他們就能獨立工作,在其他情況下,行政人員和管理者未經過訓練就要處理團隊工作的特殊挑戰,以及要共享決策。


總結:

學校沒有團隊工作是無法成功達成教育的目標或理念的,而有效能的團隊來自於團隊內部人員會團隊的承諾,如何讓團隊成員建立承諾有賴團隊領導者的智慧,從文章中提到領導者必須要了解團隊合作的方法及利用學習型組織,並且了解團隊合作的缺失與障礙,才能達成有效能的團隊工作。

2011年4月7日 星期四

School-Based Management. 學校本位管理

School-Based Management.    學校本位管理

School-based management (SBM) is an alternative to the typical pattern of school district governance that centralizes authority in the district office. As John Lindelow and James Heynderickx (forthcoming) define it, SBM "is a system of administration in which the school is the primary unit of educational decision-making." Responsibility for certain decisions about the budget, personnel, and the curriculum is placed at the school level rather than the district level, thereby giving especially principals but also teachers, students, and parents greater control over the educational process.
學校本位管理有別於集中權力由教育主管機關治理的典型模式,學者約翰及詹姆斯認為學校本位管理是以學校為最主要單位而進行決策的一種行政管理系統。而學校要負責一些重要的決定,像是預算、人事及課程,都是以學校的層級作為主體而非學區層級,因此特別是校長,還有教師、學生及家長都能一同為教育的歷程把關。

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT?
學校本位管理有哪些優點?

A task force convened by the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (1988) identified nine advantages, several of which are listed below. School-based management * formally recognizes the expertise and competence of those who work in individual schools to make decisions to improve learning * gives teachers, other staff members, and the community increased input into decisions * improves morale of teachers * focuses accountability for decisions * brings both financial and instructional resources in line with the instructional goals developed in each school * nurtures and stimulates new leaders at all levels * increases both the quantity and the quality of communication Each school's flexibility to meet the needs of its students leads to greater creativity in the design of programs.
由美國學校管理者協會、全國小學校長協會及全國中學校長協會於1988年共同確立了九項有關校本管理的優點,其中一些要點如下:
正式承認學校決策者的專業知識及工作能力能促進學習。
讓教師及其他行政人員和社區人士投入決定。
提高教師的士氣。
著重在決策上的績效。
依各校的所要發展的教學目標來投入資金及教學資源。
培育及刺激在各級學校的領導者。
增加溝通質與量。
每所學校的彈性能符合學生的需求,在課程的設計上能產生更大的創造力。

Budgeting also becomes markedly more realistic. Lindelow and Heynderickx state that schools no longer need to lobby with the central office for funds. Instead of requesting more money than is needed (with the hope of receiving a lesser amount that is sufficient to meet needs), schools receive a "lump sum," based on a formula, that they can spend as they see fit. Parents and teachers become more aware of the cost of programs, the school's financial status, and its spending limitations.
預算也變得更為透明且實際,學者認為學校不再需要向中央辦公室尋求大量的資金補助,而是有多少需求拿多少錢,學校會得到一個基於公式所運算出來,他們所可以花費且認為合宜的預算總額。家長和教師將會更加意識到學校的成本花費及財務狀況,還有開支的限制。

2011年4月6日 星期三

校長檔案:校長短缺--學校應該做什麼來吸引新一代的學校領導者?

From the Principal Files: The Principal Shortage -- What Can Schools Do to Attract a New Generation of School Leaders?
校長檔案:校長短缺--學校應該做什麼來吸引新一代的學校領導者?

From time to time, Education World updates and reposts a previously published article that we think might be of interest to administrators. We hope you find this recently updated article to be of value.
有時候,Education World更新並回顧一些先前認為校長有趣的出版文章,我們希望讀者能找到有價值的新文章。

Education World asked our "Principal Files" principals to suggest some ideas that might help grow the shrinking pool of qualified school leaders. Today, we share their responses! Included: Read their replies -- some common sense, others provocative!
所以今日Education World從過去的校長檔案中,找出其中的校長,請他們給予一些幫助校長的意見。


"The Correlates of Effective Schools research found that the principal was the single most-important contributing factor to the success of an effective school," Alan Seay, principal at Iowa Park (Texas) High School, told Education World. "That's why it's critical for schools to be able to attract good people to the principalship -- and to keep them there."
從「有效能學校之相關因素」研究中,可從結論得知,校長本人是在達成有效能學校中最重要的貢獻因子。
How can school systems make the principal's job more manageable? How can they attract educators who might make exceptional principals? Education World posed those questions recently to our Principal Files principals. They had plenty of ideas -- common sense ideas and provocative ones too!
那麼學校的系統如何使校長工作更易於管理,或吸引特殊的校長呢?訪談校長的結果是,他們會有很多的想法,包括一般的想法及挑釁的想法。
Did you miss yesterday's Education World article, The Principal Shortage -- Why Doesn't Anybody Want the Job? In that story, Education World P-Files principals shared their thoughts about the reasons for the principal shortage. They discussed many of the important issues school principals face today. Not surprisingly, those issues also happen to be some of the biggest obstacles to recruiting educators who might consider administration!
從過去的文章「校長短缺--為什麼沒人要當校長?」得知很多重要的原因,他們討論許多原因都是今日校長所面臨的重要議題。而很多原因已經發生成為校長招聘的重大阻礙。

OF COURSE, MONEY IS AN ISSUE
薪水就是一項原因
Raising salaries for school administrators is a must if schools are to make the principalship more attractive to a new generation of school leaders. "Increased pay would send a message that society values the work of the principal," Chris Rose, principal at Plymouth School in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia (Canada), told Education World.
"I know salary does not make a good leader, much less a great leader," said Betty Peltier, principal at Southdown Elementary School in Houma, Louisiana, "but teachers with leadership ability see the long hours and the extent of the principal's job and opt for other avenues of leadership. Each year, the gap between the principal's salary and the teacher's salary narrows."
假如學校能讓校長吸引更多新世代的學校領導者,那麼校長就應該加薪,一位校長說「給校長加薪會傳達給社會一個訊息,讓社會知道校長是重要的人物」。而另一位校長說「錢沒辦法造就一個好的領導者,更不用說偉大的領袖。但是有領導能力的教師經歷長時間和某程度的校長工作,以及其他途徑的領導方式。每一年校長和教師薪水的差距是愈來愈小。

The principal shortage might be a good thing, according to principal Anthony Pallija Jr. "It's nice to be in demand for a change!" he said. "We are the CEOs of our buildings," Pallija, principal at North Canton Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio, told Education World. "We run million-dollar schools, with hundreds of staff and thousands of students, parents, and community members."
一位校長認為校長短缺是件好事,他說「這是改變的良好機會,因為我們猶如學校的執行長!」而另一位校長也說「我們經營百萬美金的學校,當中有著成千上百的教職員師、學生、家長和社區成員。」

Pallija's point: Principals ought to be compensated more like the CEOs they are!
"All three levels of government -- federal, state, and local -- need to make a concerted effort to raise the compensation of principals so that it is competitive with that of other mid-level managers," added Alan Seay.
Pallija校長指出:校長應當被視為如企業的執行長般獲得相等的薪水!
各級政府都應致力於提升校長的薪水,使校長有別於其他的中階管理者。

"It's about time educators started getting the kind of pay that athletes do," said Nancy Ondrasik, assistant principal at Beatty Warren Middle School in Warren, Pennsylvania. "We train the children; then they look up to athletes who engage in all the types of behavior that we have trained them not to do! And who gets the big money?"
Revising job descriptions so school secretaries become office managers and raising their salaries is one solution several P-Files principals advocated. "That would relieve the principal of much of the administrative trivia that crowds the desk each day," suggested Helene Dykes, principal at Tijeras Creek Elementary, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.
Raising the salaries of support staff is just the first step, however. The P-Files principals see many other ways school districts and states can help relieve the principal shortage.
修改工作內容並提升學校助理的薪水是其中一種解決辦法,一位校長說「加薪並重新調整工作,可以減輕例行事務的負擔」但是提高員工薪水只是第一步而已,下面我們還會看到其他可以減輕校長短缺問題的方法