Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)
There is widespread belief that the quality of leadership makes a significant difference to school and student outcomes. In many parts of the world, including South Africa, there is recognition that schools require effective leaders and managers if they are to provide the best possible education for their learners. Many schools have difficulty in managing education change and thus depend on districts for support. In the education hierarchy, districts are closest to schools and can potentially influence school development. They have an important role to play in driving systemic reforms and in establishing the conditions for continuous and long-term improvement in schools. In South Africa the school district and, in particular, the role of the IDSO has not been researched much. However, there is a growing interest in understanding the important role the IDSO could play in supporting schools.
The aim of the research was to gain a clearer understanding from school principals in the Johannesburg West District in Gauteng as to how they think the IDSO can best support them. In order to realise the aim of the study, the following objectives were set, namely to:
find out from participants what they understand the IDSO’s role to be;
find out from participants how they experience the current role of the IDSO; and
explore what role participants would like the IDSO to play in supporting schools.
The research was located within the interpretative paradigm, using a case study method. Open-ended interviews allowed for a variety of rich narrative data which contributed to the findings in this research project.
Despite the importance attached to school districts, internationally as well as in South Africa, there is a tendency to ignore districts in school reform. Furthermore, there is little published research on school districts in South Africa. This research study is intended to make a contribution to the research on school districts in South Africa.