Abstract
The study investigates the effect of systemic intervention strategies on the management of teaching and learning in underperforming schools, the challenges management experiences in implementing systemic interventions and the effect of varied socioeconomic factors influencing improvement in underperforming schools.
A qualitative research design was used and semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers, school management team members and a curriculum advisor in the northern suburbs of the Western Cape, South Africa. These provided a deeper understanding of systemic intervention strategies' current trends and challenges.
The findings revealed the disparities within the systemic interventions implemented to bring about improvement in schools. They highlight the challenges experienced by management teams and teachers due to unrealistic expectations. Improvement is adversely affected by the lack of inclusion of schools in processes to develop improvement plans and not considering the complex challenges of underperforming schools when formulating systemic interventions.
Finally, the study highlights the invaluable contribution of management teams in formulating and implementing systemic intervention strategies. A concerted effort must be made to address the challenges they face, redress the unfair inequalities that contribute to poor results and work towards positive results in improving underperforming schools.
Keywords: Systemic Intervention, Management strategies, Underperforming schools, Leadership structures, Teaching and Learning Improvement, Individualized Intervention Strategies