Abstract
Ph.D. (Educational Leadership and Management)
In the twenty-first century there is a global trend in educational systems towards system-wide change approaches at the district, provincial or national levels. The existing model, that reinforces the school as the main unit of change, is inadequate to raise learner academic achievement on a large scale. The concept of system-wide change is relevant to South African education, where there is an urgent need to develop leaders in improving instruction. This study investigated a system-wide change strategy at the level of the school district which sought to build the leadership capacity of principals and district officials towards the improvement of instruction. This three year venture was called the Leadership for Learning Programme (LLP). A feature of the LLP is that it was based on a partnership between two universities, one that understood the local context of the school district, and another that brought international expertise, experience and appeal.
The research design employed is a case study. Qualitative research methods included participant observation and interviews, while the quantitative method was accomplished by means of a questionnaire. The population included all the actors involved in the LLP, which comprised of principals, district officials, facilitators, academic staff and an administrator. A literature review was undertaken to develop a conceptual framework based on systems theory. Systems theory gives primacy to the interconnectedness and interdependence of the elements in a system.
The quantitative findings indicate that of the five contact sessions of the LLP, the aspect that requires the most attention in the school district is effective communication, leadership values and collaboration. This finding was supported by the qualitative findings which showed that top-down structures in overly bureaucratic systems promote authoritarian rather than collegial management styles. The poor interpersonal relationships between principals and district officials hindered learning at the LLP. In addition, tensions that existed among district officials flared up. These issues were confronted and worked through during the LLP ...