School district support to schools: voices and perspectives of school principals in a province in South Africa

Abstract

The role of education districts is central to the success of schools as they are mandated to work collaboratively with school principals, giving guidance and professional support. In this paper, we investigate school principals’ perspectives regarding the nature of support provided by their districts to effectively conduct their work and how that support can be enhanced. Using semi-structured interviews, 18 principals from five districts were interviewed. Findings show school principals’ dissatisfaction with their districts’ low levels of support caused by the lack of district support on provision of resources, lack of consultation in key decisions involving their schools; district officials’ lack of visibility in schools and responsiveness to change. We conclude that the success of principals and their schools partly depends on the nature of support received from their districts, and argue for improved collaboration between schools and the districts.