School Effectiveness and Educational Management

Towards a South-Eastern Europe Research and Public Policy Agenda

Nikša Alfirević, Josip Burušić, Jurica Pavičić, Renata Relja, Nikša Alfirevi?, Josip Buruši?, Jurica Pavi?i?, Renata Relja, Nikša Alfirevi?, Josip Buruši?, Jurica Pavi?i?, Nikša Alfirevi?, Josip Buruši?, Jurica Pavi?i?, Nikša Alfirevi?, Josip Buruši?, Jurica Pavi?i?, Nikša Alfirevi?, Josip Buruši?, Jurica Pavi?i?, Nikša Alfirevi?, Josip Buruši?, Jurica Pavi?i?, Nikša Alfirević, J

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9783319298795
• eBook ISBN: 9783319298801
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Management

This book analyzes educational management in the context of developing effective schools in South-Eastern European countries and situates the discussion within ongoing education debates in EU countries. The bookrevolves around the specific role and practices of school principals, who are positioned as a nexus of educational management in each school. Presenting innovative research in the field of educational management and effectiveness this volume will be invaluable for a range of education specialists.

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016

Nikša Alfirević, Josip Burušić, Jurica Pavičić and Renata Relja (eds.)School Effectiveness and Educational Management10.1007/978-3-319-29880-1_1

Begin Abstract

1. School Effectiveness and Educational Management: Editorial

Nikša Alfirević¹ , Josip Burušić², Jurica Pavičić³ and Renata Relja⁴

(1)

Faculty of Economics Split, University of Split, Split, Croatia

(2)

Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb, Croatia

(3)

Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

(4)

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Split, Split, Croatia

 

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief overview of the entire Palgrave Macmillan volume dedicated to school-effectiveness and educational-management research, focused on South-Eastern European research and its public-policy agenda.

End Abstract

This volume looks at the specific role and practices of school principals who are positioned as a nexus of educational management in schools. They are supposed to meet the requirements of the local communities and the educational-policy public simultaneously, while adhering to a rational use of school resources and exercising leadership. This requires balancing diverse stakeholder requirements, while still being able to implement contemporary management tools and approaches, in order to function against the backdrop of a specific economic reality.

There is a vast array of contributions in the existing literature concerning individual aspects of school management, leadership, governance, and other relevant educational topics. Nevertheless, we found it quite difficult to provide a concise volume presenting a practical overview of school effectiveness and educational-management topics which would at the same time focus on specific aspects of educational systems in South-East Europe. Consequently, the research team, located at the Croatian Centre of Scientific Excellence in school effectiveness and management research, decided to create such a volume, keeping primarily in mind the needs of a diverse set of potential readers. We have striven to address the needs and interests of actors from the South-East European region, as well as to provide thought-provoking reading for those interested in educational-management and school-effectiveness issues viewed from a slightly different perspective.

The volume starts with a high-level overview of the school effectiveness concept, provided by Josip BURUSIC, Toni BABAROVIC and Marija SAKIC VELIC, in which a basic review of the historical development of school-effectiveness research is provided, the most important methodological approaches and advances in contemporary school-effectiveness research are described and the main findings of empirical studies of school effectiveness in South-Eastern Europe, with special emphasis on studies conducted in the Croatian primary-education system, are presented. Aiming to cover the fundamentals of the principals’ stakeholder orientation, Jurica PAVICIC, Niksa ALFIREVIC, Goran VLASIC, Zoran KRUPKA and Bozena KRCE MIOCIC discuss contemporary public and non-profit marketing theory as implemented in the school environment. A contribution by Sanja STANIC, Darko HREN and Ivanka BUZOV concentrates on communicative and managerial practices with the local community and its actors, as well as with actors in the wider society.

The second part of the volume looks ‘inside’ schools and concentrates on principals’ managerial and leadership practices. These are addressed in a chapter on educational management authored by Dijana VICAN, Niksa ALFIREVIC and Renata RELJA, as well as in a contribution on educational leadership provided by Dijana VICAN, Renata RELJA and Toni POPOVIC. Additional perspectives are provided by two groups of authors. Ina REIC ERCEGOVAC, Morana KOLUDROVIC and Andreja BUBIC discuss the educational and administrative aspects of school governance, focusing primarily on school boards and their relationship with principals. The discourse of democracy in school governance, viewed from stakeholders’ viewpoints, is introduced by Marita BRCIC KULJIS and Anita LUNIC.

The concluding chapter addresses the practical challenges of marketing and educational-management/leadership practices, as well as the research agenda, which is envisioned as a way to design and implement innovative policies and educational-management approaches in South-East Europe and beyond.

We hope that you will enjoy reading this volume as much as we enjoyed editing it. Please feel free to forward us your comments and feedback.

Niksa Alfirevic

Josip Burusic

Jurica Pavicic

Renata Relja

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016

Nikša Alfirević, Josip Burušić, Jurica Pavičić and Renata Relja (eds.)School Effectiveness and Educational Management10.1007/978-3-319-29880-1_2

Begin Abstract

2. School Effectiveness: An Overview of Conceptual, Methodological and Empirical Foundations

Josip Burušić¹ , Toni Babarović¹ and Marija Šakić Velić¹

(1)

Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the conceptual, methodological and primary empirical foundations of school-effectiveness research. Explanations of the concepts of educational quality, effectiveness and efficacy are provided, and the main research findings regarding school and educational effectiveness are presented, along with a basic review of the historical development of this area of research. The most important methodological approaches and advances in school-effectiveness research in the areas of construct operationalization, criteria selection, data analysis and research design are then described. Finally, some important findings from empirical studies of school effectiveness in South-Eastern Europe, with a special emphasis on studies conducted in the Croatian primary-education system, are presented.

End Abstract

In the literature focused on theoretical considerations and research in the field of educational studies, we are faced with different views on the concepts of quality, effectiveness and efficiency in education, as well as with different interpretations of their meanings (e.g., Barnett, 1992, Carmichael, 2002). In addition to defining individual concepts that jointly point to the effectiveness in education, other fundamental issues are related with approaches to the assessment and measurement of these concepts, as well as the methods and levels of considering certain performance indicators. The final part of this chapter provides results of empirical studies in the field of educational effectiveness, primarily those obtained in South-Eastern Europe and in the Croatian primary-education system.

1 Conceptual Foundations: What Are Quality, Effectiveness and Efficiency in Education?

It is difficult to provide a unique definition of educational quality that would be well-suited for diverse environments and circumstances, as well as the values, desires and goals of all stakeholders involved in education (Adams, 1993; Bramley, 1995; Chapman & Adams, 2002; Harvey & Green, 1993; Scheerens, 2004; UNICEF, 2000). In a general sense, educational quality refers to achieving the desired standards and goals, or, as Creemers and Scheerens (1994) have pointed out, quality refers to those characteristics and factors in the functioning of the school as a whole that contribute to explaining differences in outcomes among students in different grades, schools and educational systems. Although such definitions emphasize the final objective, they fail to provide a clear description of the specific characteristics resulting in quality schools and education, that is, an explanation of what quality actually implies.

Consequently, numerous authors have tried to identify and more closely describe the components of educational quality, and to provide more specific definitions of this construct. Vlãsceanu, Grünberg and Pârlea (2004) define educational quality as a multi-dimensional, multi-level and dynamic concept that refers to the contextual setting of education, the mission and the objectives of an institution and the specific standards of an educational system. According to Hawes and Stephens (1990), quality is the outcome of three types of effort: success in the achievement of set goals; appropriateness in human and environmental circumstances; and the “something more” evident in the exploration of new ideas, striving for excellence and encouragement of creativity. Adams (1993) believes that educational quality can be approached from diverse perspectives and by considering the different aspects and goals of education. Hence, educational quality can have different meanings depending on whether one focuses on diverse components and stakeholders in education, their interests, outcomes and educational process, or if one seeks to encompass all the characteristics of education. Scheerens (2004) agrees with this explanation of educational quality, joining the previously described aspects of educational quality into a conceptual framework of school effectiveness. He sees educational effectiveness as a productive system in which available material and human potential are transformed into educational outcomes, simultaneously considering these processes in specific contextual conditions. UNICEF (2000) has adopted a more comprehensive approach to educational quality, with an emphasis on the complexity of education and the need to adopt a broad and a holistic perspective on quality. This has to include students, context, processes, environment and outcomes as interrelated dimensions that mutually affect one another. Hence, although the definitions of educational quality differ, the present authors agree that it is important to consider all aspects of education in defining educational quality. Consequently, quality refers to the availability of financial resources, qualifications of the educational staff, characteristics of students, teaching and grading procedures and, finally, different outcomes that include knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour.

Although the concepts of educational quality and educational effectiveness are frequently used synonymously (Adams, 1993; Chapman & Adams, 2002; Riddell, 2008; Sammons, Hillman, & Mortimore, 1995), they tend to differ considerably. Educational effectiveness can be defined as the degree to which an educational system, and its components and stakeholders, achieve specific, desired goals and effects. Since, in the context of educational systems, goals and effects are represented in terms of achievement, an educational system that contributes to greater student achievement is considered more effective than another educational system (Sammons, 2007; Scheerens, Glas, & Thomas, 2007; Vlãsceanu, Grünberg, & Pârlea, 2004). Within an educational system, the term “school effectiveness” is used to describe the differences between schools (Goldstein, 1997), and hence a school that contributes to a greater extent to the achievements of its students is considered more effective (Bezirtzoglou, 2004). The research has primarily focused on the identification of factors that determine educational effectiveness (Chapman, 1979; Edmonds, 1979; Klitgaard & Hall, 1974; Purkey & Smith, 1983; Riddell, 2008; Sammons, 2007; Townsend, 2007), as well as on the development of models of school effectiveness (e.g., Creemers & Scheerens, 1994; Creemers & Kyriakides, 2006; Scheerens & Creemers, 1989).

Researchers in the field of educational effectiveness are faced with a socially delicate issue pertaining to the question of whether education should aim at excellence, or whether the primary goal of education is to reduce educational inequality and ac...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontmatter
• 1. School Effectiveness and Educational Management: Editorial
• 2. School Effectiveness: An Overview of Conceptual, Methodological and Empirical Foundations
• 3. School Principals, Environments and Stakeholders: The Blessings and Heresies of Market Organization
• 4. Schools, Local Communities and Communication: Above and Beyond the Stakeholders
• 5. Managing the School: Principals as Managers
• 6. Principals’ Educational Leadership
• 7. School Governance Models and School Boards: Educational and Administrative Aspects
• 8. The Democratic Context of School Governance: External and Internal Stakeholders’ Perspectives
• 9. School Effectiveness and Educational Management: Toward a New Research and Public-Policy Agenda
• Backmatter