The Difficulties of School Governance

Abstract

The public sector reforms broadly known as New Public Sector Management (NPM), have had a substantial impact on the way schools are governed in both England and New Zealand. One assumption of this approach is that local communities can carry out the complex responsibilities of governance in a way that serves both state and local interests. In this study, a sample of New Zealand governors, headteachers and state education officials, described the nature and frequency of the difficulties governing bodies experienced in carrying out four key governance tasks. Three main types of difficulty emerged; skill and understanding, difficulties in interaction with professionals and inadequate understanding of the governance role. The factors that sustain these difficulties are explained along with implications for the improvement of lay governance of state schools.