Decentralization Of Education Research Articles

A MULTICULTURAL DYSTOPIA: THE ETHNICIZATION OF EDUCATION IN POST-INDEPENDENCE KOSOVO

Taking the unilateral declaration of independence as an historical milestone, this essay investigates the role of education within Kosovo’s current national system questioning whether education and, in particular, educational decentralization complemented by enhanced non-majority rights for the Kosovo-Serb community, has contributed to fostering a multicultural society or has, by contrast, reinforced the ethno-cultural divide between Kosovo-Albanians and Kosovo-Serbs. This will be done through an analysis of the gap between multicultural policies and effective practises over aspects of language, curriculum, teachers’ attitude and textbooks within the Kosovo-run system. The second part of the essay will address the response of the K-Serb community through the use of education as a tool of ‘resistance’ in the reiteration of its political stance in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 with implications for social cohesion and the future of Kosovo. The “conceptualization” of these two parallel systems may be either indicative of future integration or conversely the expression for a call of full autonomy on the part of the K-Serbian inhabited north or, even worse, symptomatic of a return to violence. Article visualizations:

PERANAN KOMITE SEKOLAH DALAM MENINGKATKAN MUTU PENDIDIKAN DASAR DI KABUPATEN TUBAN - Sutrisno Rachmat.docx

Autonomy of education as a form of education decentralization results in an important concept for education implementations. One of them is School Based Management (MBS) which then forms School Committee and Education Board as society participations in the education field. Education is a shared responsibility between family, society, and government. Therefore, the school committee as an element of society affiliated in institutions of education has important and strategic roles in the implementation of education. Thus, its roles and functions need to be optimized to improve the quality of education.
 In general, this study aims to describe objectively the roles of the school committee in improving the quality of education in Tuban Regency. As samples, four primary schools (elementary scholls and madrasah ibtidaiyah) are observed. The research method used is descriptive qualitative research in the form of naturalistic by design or research strategy of the case study. The types of data sources are (1) events, namely the role of school committees in schools, (2) Informants or interviewees consisting of element school committee, principals, and teachers, and (3) Archives or documents. Data collection is performed by observation, in-depth interviewing and document analysis. To analyze data, the interactive analysis model is conducted.
 The results show that (1) In improving the quality of education, the school committee has collaborated with the school manager in various forms, as well as providing supports both morally and materially. (2) Giving considerations to the school is done through discussions of school committee members. (3) Instructions and supports are manifested by recommending to add the number of teaching staffs and educational personnel as needed. (4) Consideration in the determination and implementation of education policy is realized by the role of the school committee in arranging RAPBS, plenary meetings or school activities. (6) The monitoring is carried out periodically by requesting accountability reports of learning activities and financial management of the school to assure the transparency and accountability. (7) The mediation role is conducted by delivering government policies in the plenary meeting regarding the education program.
 Based on the results mentioned, in improving the quality of education in school (madrasah), it is suggested that (1) the school committee is always active and creative in empowering the existing resources in schools and society to support the improvement of education optimally. (2) The school principal can cooperate with the school committee in synergy. (3) Teachers always take care the suggestions from school committee to improve the teaching quality and service for students. (4) Education Ministry and Education Board in Tuban as to their authorities always contribute to school committee to be more empowered in supporting government programs at the level of primary education units

Gender Status in the Community School of Nepal

This paper focused on government and community schools are those schools management responsibility handed over either to the school management committee, or to the local government bodies or to other local organizations for the purpose of improving the quality of education through the active involvement of local communities. School Management Committee (SMC) is the executive body to manage community school. Involvement of local communities in the management of primary and secondary level education is common in South Asia. Much of the enthusiasm of involving communities in the form of decentralisation has come from the assumption that it will empower marginal sections of the society, particularly women to participate in development and governance process of community school development. The study is complemented by both qualitative and quantitative data collected from the selected case study sites and backed by the review of the education policy development processes in different time horizons and also other relevant documents related to the school sector where local communities are being given the responsibilities for managing schools as part of nationwide educational decentralization program. The purpose was to identify factors (both structural and agency related) that constrain or enable women’s participation in community school management.

The Impact of the Decentralization Process within the Pre-University Education system. A Case Study of Gymnasium School No. 1 Mileanca from Botosani County

The article deals with the problem of the impact of applying decentralization in education that is, of the decision autonomy, in some areas, offered locally, having as model the Secondary School no. 1 Mileanca, from Botosani County. In recent years there has been much written about decentralization, different solutions have been issued for a successful implementation of this process, all of which are limited to encouraging the continuation of this form of administrative organization. The state pre-university education is part of the decentralized public services, while remaining and subordinated (for aspects regarding educational policies, evaluation of the educational process and compliance with the legislation) to the Ministry of National Education, through the county school inspectorates. Decentralization gives the school the role of main decision-maker, ensuring the participation and consultation of several factors in the education process: family, local authorities, representatives of civil society, business environment, church, police, health units etc. But one of the most important aspects remains the financial one, an administrative decentralization, unpublished by the financial one, being doomed to failure. Therefore, the focus in this article is on highlighting the aspects related to the financial implications of decentralization within the Gymnasium School No.1 Mileanca, from Botosani County.

Constructing A Legal Concept of Secondary Education Management in Indonesia

The legal concept of secondary education management in Indonesia is divided into two parts, legal norms of secondary education decentralization and motivation for legal formation on secondary education management in Indonesia. The harmonization of two regulations creates legal norms of decentralization for secondary education management. The research is a normative legal research. It uses philosophical, statute, and conceptual approaches. The research is qualitative research based on normative or doctrinal legal methods. The results show that the all norms related to decentralization and secondary education are collected in these phases, so that the orientation of secondary education management towards the systematical and structured-concept in realizing the goals of national education, to educate the life of nation. Indonesia is a country born from the values of powerful local wisdom and culture. The phenomenon of uniformity of policies that incorporate culture as a uniform thing is wrong, so that it is appropriate to return its management to those closest to the community. Keywords: Concept; Decentralization; Education; Secondary Education DOI : 10.7176/JLPG/89-22 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Improving education delivery through community – school partnership

PurposeOne of the most debated policy discourses that have engaged the attention of countries as well as the donor community is the varied pathways in improving the delivery of education through decentralisation and community participation. A key policy expectation is that through the active participation of the community, education quality and related outcomes would improve. The purpose of this paper is to explore the policy and practices of community and school partnership and the extent to which the “social contract” between communities and schools has been executed. It also explores the challenges they face as they engage in the governance of schools and how such engagement shapes education delivery.Design/methodology/approachThis research was guided by a semi-structured interview schedule focused on two selected basic (i.e. primary and junior secondary) schools and their communities within a Municipality in a Coastal Region of Ghana as a single case for the study. Data were read thoroughly to identify common themes which included the multiple perspectives of participation, teacher management, conflicts and tensions, the role of community elites in school-community partnerships, capacity constraints, parental roles, and issues about the “social contract” among others.FindingsDrawing on case study data, the paper argues that although decentralisation policies aim at strengthening local democracy and participation, they do not fully consider the conditions under which this might be achieved. Furthermore, in community–school partnership discourses, the impression has often times been given that the policy of education decentralisation is about what communities could do to support schools located within them. The fact of it being a two-way relationship is often not stressed, thus, diminishing the role the school plays or could play in the life of communities.Originality/valueThe study reinforced the point that the relationship was a two-way one based on reciprocity, and that it was the fulfilment of the expectations of both parties that shaped the relationship between them and determined the nature of communities’ participation in the governance of its schools. Anything to the contrary thus weakens the relationship.

“More Practice-based Courses and Not Just a Load of Papers to Read”: Youth Soccer Coaches Reflections on Coach Education Programs in Sweden

Abstract In Sweden, the formal soccer coach education programs are divided into different levels and are also divided into youth coaching and senior coaching. This paper focuses on youth soccer coaches and their reflections on coach education programs. In the background section the Swedish context is described, as well as current research on coaches’ education and learning. The aim of the paper was to investigate youth soccer coaches’ reflections on coach education programs and to analyse their reflections by using a cultural approach to learning. The empirical material of the paper derives from a web-based questionnaire, posing questions about competence, learning and stress. The coaches were also invited to reflect on the question “how do you believe that soccer associations can educate good coaches?” There were 369 responses, and these were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results indicated reflections about Flexibility in time, place and content, Mentorship supporting informal learning, Demanding mandatory education and emolument, Education focusing on wholeness and Education being based in practice. The conclusion was that decentralization of education and development of coaches’ contexts, abilities and motivation to critically analyse aims and contents of coach education programs are improvement areas for learning and coaching practices.

Vindicating Archer’s concepts of educational systems – centralized and decentralized – as exemplars of critical realist theorizing

ABSTRACTMargaret Archer’s concepts of educational centralization and decentralization, developed in her classical study Social Origins of Educational Systems ([1979] 2013), differ from current conceptions in mainstream research where centralization and decentralization are defined as strategies of governance aiming to redistribute decision-making authority and/or is measured by indicators of ‘school autonomy’. Archer’s definitions of centralized and decentralized systems and the currently dominant conceptions are rooted in divergent ontological assumptions. Current research implicitly assumes a flat ontology, an ontology of practice, while Archers concepts of centralized and decentralized systems are based in an ontology of emergence. Her real definition of an educational system, whether centralized or decentralized, which identifies its emergent structures and mechanisms, is superior to current conceptualizations in the sense of having explanatory power. Analyses of recent educational development in Norway employing current mainstream conceptions and an alternative analysis using Archer’s concepts illustrate the greater explanatory power of the latter.

Three Phases of De Facto Quasi-Decentralization of Higher Education in China Since 1949

This study concentrates on the three phases of China’s de facto higher education quasi-decentralization since 1949 and center-local relations during each of the phases. The three phases are: (1) the phase of the late 1950s and early 1960s, when provincial-level control was enhanced; (2) the phase of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when “independent colleges” and people-run institutions were established; and (3) the present phase which is ongoing since the mid-2000s, when elite Sino-foreign joint institutions (e.g., NYU Shanghai) and young elite research institutions (e.g., ShanghaiTech and Westlake University) were approved. To investigate the diversification and proliferation of higher education institutions in each phase, a theoretical framework has been constructed based on Zheng’s (De facto federalism in China: reforms and dynamics of central-local relations, World Scientific, Singapore, 2007) argument of China’s de facto federalism. As macro-level contexts, China’s principal philosophies of higher education development and the interrelations between China’s higher education system and the outside world during each phase have been briefly reviewed. It suggests that local governments and higher education institutions in China may attempt to play more active roles in promoting de jure higher education decentralization.

POLITIK KEBIJAKAN PENDIDIKAN AGAMA DAN KEAGAMAAN: REVITALISASI UPAYA PEMERINTAH TERHADAP PENDIDIKAN KEAGAMAAN

Indonesia is the biggest archipelago country in the world, the government has tried to prosper the people by issuing policies on regional autonomy. Regional autonomy in its development is widespread in all fields, one of them in education. Autonomy Education gained much support among the people, thus giving birth to Decentralization of Education, namely to give up government responsibility according to the needs and capabilities of each region. The effort has been regulated in Law Number 20 Year 2003 on National Education System supported by Government Regulation no. 55 of 2007. However, these efforts have not been fully realized, so that sometimes cause gap and prolonged criticism. Therefore we as a policy-bearer must prioritize the principle good governance in Decentralization of Education.
 The religious and religious education policies contained in Government Regulation No. 55 of 2007 are intended to help realize the goals of education in Indonesia, giving the right of autonomy in the form of decentralization of education to each school in each region to manage the institution. If the school is religious based, it is given the freedom to manage according to the teachings of the religion. But to realize this policy requires strong observers and willing to act, the principle of autonomy, flexibility, participatory and initiative can be used as a basis in realizing these goals as a whole.

Manajemen dan Kebijakan Madrasah melalui Penguatan Tata Kelola, Akuntabilitas dan Citra Publik Pendidikan

Strengthening governance, accountability, and public image is a work of the national education plan. This policy aims to improve the capacity and competency management and budgeting of education in the implementation and management to realize transparent and accountable education so as to create the image and services of the school/madrasah quality sound and accountable manner. These objectives can be achieved through, autonomy and decentralization of education, school-based management/madrasah, community-based management, and image enhancement.

Challenges of Decentralization of Primary Education in Bukedea District in Uganda

The study was about decentralization challenges in Government Aided Primary Schools in Bukedea District. The objectives were; to identify the challenges of decentralized supervision practices and assess the challenges of decentralized financial management practices. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches and employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. A sample size of 329 respondents were selected out of a population of 781, these were 1 District Education Official, 4 District Inspectors of Schools, 248 School Management Committee Members and 76 head teachers. The study used a questionnaire, interview guide and documentary reviews to collect data. Descriptive statistics was to analyse data; and challenges of the decentralized supervision practices were found to include: inadequate supervision mechanisms, insufficient funding for supervision processes, inadequate formal training on effective supervision, inadequate linkage of supervision objectives to performance of teachers and limited numbers of supervisors. The decentralized financial challenges included: insufficient funds, delayed quarterly government release of funds, and lack of financial cost sharing practices. The study recommended that head teachers and district education supervisors need to adopt supervision practices that are fully linked to performance at both school and district level, and district education officials ought to roll out massive financial management strategies to help head teachers deal with such challenges.

The System Approach in the Perspective of Law Number 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System

In the context of implementing decentralization in the education sector, there are many problems that arise, because the implementation of decentralization of education is different from the decentralization of other areas of government which is basically concentrated at the district and city level. Decentralization of education has not only stalled at the district and city level but even more so that it reaches the school level. The existence of autonomy in the management of education is a potential for schools to improve the performance of personnel, offer direct participation from relevant parties, and increase public understanding of the implementation of education in schools. Decentralization of education has encouraged the improvement of services in the field of education to the community, which leads to efforts to improve the quality of education management at the lowest level, namely schools through the implementation of School-Based Management. The implementation of School-Based Management in general is to empower or empower schools through giving authority to schools, giving schools greater flexibility to manage school resources, and encouraging the participation of school members and communities to improve the quality of education.

Decentralization and Policy Experimentation in Education: the Consequences of Enhancing Local Autonomy in California

Abstract A hypothesized benefit of decentralization is that it will promote policy experimentation, yet there have been few studies examining this link. In this article, I identify three pathways through which decentralization could plausibly lead to greater experimentation and empirically assess their presence through an analysis of California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), a policy that enhanced the fiscal autonomy of local school districts. I find mixed results; even though there was some evidence to suggest greater policy activity, most new actions taken by school districts were incremental changes. Further, there was little ideological differentiation in adopted policies despite variation in districts’ partisan composition. Small districts were slightly more likely to experiment than larger ones, supporting the hypothesis that smaller jurisdictions are more nimble and flexible and thus more likely to enact policy change. I conclude by exploring how the incentives and preferences of local officials mediate the causal connection between decentralization and policy experimentation.

Reforming Schools, Disciplining Teachers: Decentralization and Privatization of Education in Honduras

This article examines how teachers in post‐coup Honduras approached implementing neoliberal school finance reforms with which they disagreed. The laws in question decentralize national public education and demand that teachers secure funding for basic school infrastructure and academic programs from private businesses. I show how teachers reluctantly engaged aspects of this legislation, but for their own reasons, and suggest that their partial compliance is illuminative of how teachers in other contexts may approach policy implementation.

Disjunctured reciprocity: paradoxes of community-school relationship in Nepal

ABSTRACTCommunity-based school governance has been promoted as a popular policy for decentralisation of education around the world. Within this policy, schools are expected to create institutional spaces such as School Management Committees with an assumption of reciprocal relation between school and community. This article questions the simplistic assumption through an ethnographic study of community-school relationship in Nepal. While these relationships may conflict with the kind of reciprocity assumed in school governance policies, we argue that this disjunctured reciprocity, firstly, reflects the gap between policy blueprints and action, and, secondly, reveals the competing logics of community-school relations which remain unacknowledged.

Decentralization in Educational Disparity of the Southeast Sulawesi Province

Educational disparity is a public issue that continues to be an endless subject matter of discourse due to the highly centralistic process of education policy in the government bureaucracy. This research aims to understand the pattern of educational disparity occurring in the islands of Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The role of political actors in the success of education policy is a vital element in the policy process, and this is apparent in the significance of the political aspect in the education policy process, which emphasizes more on political approaches rather than actual social, economic, and geographical conditions. This study was conducted using the descriptive qualitative approach with data collection techniques that included observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis in Buton and South Buton Regencies. Study results indicate that the education policy pattern developing in island regions is inclined to using the spatial approach with a central area priority scale, and the structural elite approach, which is political lobbying employed by structural elites (school principals) targeting education bureaucracy in the region. The education policy pattern developing in the region actually has an impact on educational disparity in the public, both at the district and regency levels. In general, the education decentralization policy has yet to run optimally on account of educational resources in the region being distributed by using the spatial and structural elite approaches which have, consequently, created a pathological behavior in the education bureaucracy that is chockfull of vested interests.

Singapore and Korea Towards Creative Economy in 21st Century: Comparative Analysis of Higher Education in Singapore and South Korea

This paper analyzes the most recent policies and trends in South Korean and Singaporean higher education. The main objective of this comparative analysis is to show similarities between South Korean and Singaporean strategies for their higher education structures, despite striking differences between the emergence levels of the two higher education systems. The comparison is designed to identify their most recent past, current efforts to progress in decentralization of tertiary education towards creative economy; to develop policies in order to increase competitiveness of domestic “world-class” universities; to attract a high number of international students, particularly full-tuition paying students; to attract and retain foreign talents. Certain programs, such as the provision of bonded scholarship for international students in Singapore and WCU in Korea, may appear controversial. Accordingly, the fine-tuning of referring policies and drivers is of vital importance.

The quality-access tradeoff in decentralizing public services: Evidence from education in the OECD and Spain

Decentralized delivery of public services should enhance constituents’ ability to hold politicians accountable and improve public service outcomes, according to theory. Yet, decentralization has not consistently yielded those improvements. This paper uses a novel cross-country panel from the OECD to show that decentralization generally improves students’ access to education, but in so doing, it creates congestion effects which diminish the overall quality of education that students receive. We argue that this is partially explained by the incentives of sub-central governments upon receiving their new authority. Sub-central governments are more incentivized than national ones to pursue policy improvements that are more visible and quicker to achieve, even when they are costly – like improving access – over improvements that are less visible and take longer to achieve – like increasing quality. Decentralization should therefore result in positive effects on education access and negative on quality, consistent with our findings. We directly test the impact of political incentives on responses to decentralization by exploiting the timing of education decentralization in Spain (1980–99), and variation in the political assertiveness of regional governments, using generalized difference-in-differences and synthetic controls. As predicted, the magnitude of decentralization's effects is greater for assertive regions, which are most incentivized to prioritize high visibility, costly policies.

Obscuring English Learners From State Accountability: The Case of Indiana’s Language Blind Policies

The conjoining of Indiana state and federal accountability plans during the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) flexibility waiver (2012-2015) was an attempt at one combined system to furnish information in a simple and transparent manner, while obscuring the performances of English learner’s (EL) English progress and EL reclassification. We identify how school grades are impacted by English learning progress and reclassification relative to district’s demographic profiles. Findings suggest that English learning progress significantly impacts school grades, but most sanctions are placed on achievement and EL reclassification, sending incomplete and incoherent signals to Indiana schools. Implications related to educational decentralization throughout the globe and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) are discussed.