Centering Educational Administration

Regulation and autonomy in teacher education: government, community or democracy?

“…There is a significant and increasingly influential body of theory in education which puts community at the centre of the educational process along with increased attention to social, ethical and moral dilemmas (Sergiovanni, 1992;Grace, 1995;Begley, 1999;Greenfield, 1999;Goldring & Greenfield, 2002;Starratt, 2003). Moreover, within the wider literature, concerns with the nature of civil society and the production of social capital is a major topic of debate (Putnam, 2002).…”

Wisdom‐centred educational leadership

“…The notion of 'setting directions' has been discussed in numerous studies of effective school leadership (see, for example, Bennis 2003, Heck et al 1991, Leithwood and Riehl 2005, Murphy 1990, Starratt 2003, however, these discussions do not fully discuss the innermost leadership qualities that foster the emergence of an educational direction based upon compassion and generosity. According to Leithwood and Riehl (2005), for example, effective leaders set directions by helping staff members develop a set of shared goals that encourage a sense of common purpose.…”

Learning about student voice

“…While the place of students in learning has come to the fore (e.g., Starratt, 2003;Rudduck, 2006) there are less discussed and wider issues arising from the tension between, on the one hand, schools as places where universal values are transmitted in unified communitarian settings with, on the other, schools as opportunities for individuals to develop and show their agency. Touraine (2000) frames this tension round the question: can we live together?…”