Adhering to the assumptions of invitational education: a case study

Abstract

South African schools are constantly faced with evolving needs and challenges characterised by change. As in other countries, schools in South Africa encounter pressure to ‘produce more for less’ and at the same time to achiev e c ertain goals and standards. Transforming schools into inviting institutions requires a paradigm shift among the principals and staff. The International Alliance for Invitational Education views invitational education (IE) as a means of changing classrooms into inviting p laces an d altering the c limate at scho ols. I focus on the way in which a prim ary sch ool in G auten g p rovin ce, wh ich rece ive d th e p restigious Inv itational Education award f or be ing inv iting, succeeded in adhering to the assumptions of IE. In a qualitative investigation I explored the principal and educators’ perceptions of the way in which the school adhered to the four IE assumptions.