A number of factors have been identified that affect academic achievement of learners. Among these factors, organizational culture seems to be a key factor. This is a complex factor characterized by many variables. To classify the variables included in organizational culture, a theoretical model was constructed. Two sets of variables were identified from the model: the tangible and intangible variables. The findings in this research indicate that a healthy and positive organizational culture exists in high-achieving schools whereas the same cannot be said for lowachieving schools. A positive organizational culture seems to exercise an exceptionally positive influence on members of a school and is instrumental in directing their behavior in achieving the stated goals of the school. It is recommended that management strategies should be developed and put in place to improve the organizational culture of low-achieving schools with the aim of improving their academic achievement.

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School-based management: implications for the new roles of principals and teachers

An emerging vision for education management development in South Africa In this article an overview is given o f an em erging vision f o r education m anagement developm ent in South Africa. The draft docum ents f o r education m anagement before the election in 1994 will be sta ted briefly, after which a more d etailed discussion will follow o f the events that le d to the p ro p o sed Institute as form u lated in the R eport o f the Task Team on Education M anagement D evelopm ent in D ecem ber 1996. This R eport w ill be discussed in more detail. In conclusion, som e information on the most recent developm ents*,■ that is, since the beginning o f 1997, will be given.

The South African education scene is characterised by principals who come from the apartheid era where they manage the school alone in an authoritarian manner. Old approaches to school management have changed because the society has also changed. There is a shift from top-down style of leadership to shared or distributed leadership which requires the empowerment of those in managerial positions in schools. The principal is expected to manage the school together with significant stakeholders. In this study attention was focused on the extent to which principals perform the duties of instructional leadership and how they empower the School Management Team (SMT) to execute instructional leadership. Additionally, the study aimed at finding out impediments that principals experience in the course of empowering the School Management team. The study used a quantitative method involving the use of a questionnaire. The study population consisted of 90 principals and deputy principals and 165 heads of department in Tshwane-West District. Data analysis consisted of descriptive and inferential statistics. The greatest challenge is the administrative workload experienced by principals. The study also found that rural principals perform the duties of instructional leadership more than the urban principals. Principals perform their duties well and this is good for the academic performance of learners.