AUTONOMIC SCHOOL COUNCILS MEETINGS

Andrea Martínez, Lola Ortega,

María Lizán, Paola García

INTRODUCTION

The document “twenty meet of school boards autonomous and the State” collect improvement proposals suggested by the regional school councils and state, differentiated into two groups.

The first concerns to those conditions of school autonomy which are essential for it to be directed effectively toward the objective of achieving quality of education with equity.

The second contains those proposals for the development of the autonomy of schools regarding the pedagogic, organizational and management areas.

These proposals have been intensely debated over the sessions of the Meeting and are the result of consensus and participation of all.

1. The inevitable goal of school autonomy: quality with equity.

International organizations such as the OECD and the European Commission are focusing strongly on the development of the autonomy of the educational centres as one of the political, or set of political-key to improving the quality of education in the member countries of way that it is improving reach to all students, whatever their socioeconomic or cultural background.

School autonomy is recommended is an instrument to advance towards that inevitable goal of education systems, that consist in achieve quality with equity. In achieving this objective found the autonomy measure its effectiveness and proper justification.

2. Proposals to advance in the necessary conditions for an effective autonomy.

The delegation of responsibilities in schools is related to a set of political that influence the degree of efficiency of autonomy and influence their effective orientation toward improving educational quality. For this reason, they raise a number of proposals that allude to some of the conditions necessary for effective autonomy.

The school is based on the idea that leadership must be a shared task.

Who heads this kind of organizations must promote, in their environment, have people ready to take responsibility for initiatives, projects, assignments and experiences, that is, you need surround themselves with people ready to carry on the business of the organization, leadership in specific plots. In this sense, distributed leadership helps to give answers to the complexity of school and encourages creativity and the involvement of teachers.

2.1. In relation with the leadership.

It is based on the consideration of leadership as a task that has to be shared. In this sense you must ensure good communication from the Centre with families, with students and between teachers and management team.

That is why we are asking the following proposals:

      The Educational Administrations promote different formulas of school leadership orientated to the improvement of the learning outcomes.

      That educational authorities should adopt initiatives that make the school address an attractive feature that motivate remain good principals and school directors.

      The educational administrations support the educational projects of the centres and the formation of its teaching staff and support the leadership of managers in these tasks.

      That procedures for the selection of Directors, focus not on the assessment as teachers, but in search of the best leader.

      Enhance management teams, both in their initial training and along throughout the term.

2.2. In relation to evaluation and accountability.

In our educational system there is a consolidated tradition of school autonomy, accountability for results, or of assessment procedures, therefore we are asking the following proposals:

To promote the evaluation with the advances that occur in each student in a set period of time, taking into consideration the socio-economic, socio-cultural variables and the results of previous in all centres.

      That educational administrations report centres on the indicators that will be used in the evaluation process.

      That the results of external evaluations are transferred to their school boards for their knowledge and analysis.

      For centres to establish their corresponding improvement plans.

2.3. In relation to participation.

Participation is the basis of our democratic State and law, is a key factor of quality that makes an effective improvement factor of greater autonomy.

For this reason, we propose the following actions:

      To promote the participation of families, with regard to cooperation between family and school for the educational improvement of students.

      From educational institutions will boost and orient the formation of families, focusing especially on those aspects of family life that are decisive for the formation of the children.

      School councils make annually the internal evaluation of the actions as a base to set commitments for the next course.

      That the educational administrations seek formulas which facilitate the participation of all sectors of the educational community in the centres.

3. Proposals for autonomous’ development of educational centres.

Autonomous’ model must tend to a balance between a highest centre’s capacity for regulate its pedagogical activity, its organization and the necessary coordination and control of the Government as guarantees of a minimum conditions that lets the Ed. System accomplish with their goals.

3.1. Pedagogical Autonomy

It is an essential tool to achieve quality and equity in education, favour centre’s adaptation (students and environment) offering a better answer to educational necessities.

Because of school’s heterogeneity it is necessary to enhance teacher’s role in the pedagogical autonomy of the centres.

It’s proposed:

3.1.1. Tutorial Plan Action to be of stage for work habits, values and rules in collaboration with the families.

3.1.2. Interdisciplinary connexion of the curriculum for including in all the didactic programs the development of Basic Competences (especially mathematic and linguistic) for making easier the process of learning,

3.1.3. Educational Administrations to enhance:

Experiences and practices of pedagogical innovation The creation of centres networks for the cooperation to collaborate in projects

together according with its planned in their Centre’s Educational Projects

3.2. Organizational Autonomy

It is necessary a constant adaptation of centre’s organization and resources due to :

Diversity in social context in which schools are. Different circumstances that affect them. Society’s evolution Student’s necessities.

This adaptation can’t be fixed to rigid rules and equals for all of them.

3.2.1. That Educational Administrations:

Allow principals, in agreement with teachers and School Council, to organise the groups of students for enhance their performance and goal’s achievement.

Delegate in principals the permission of the timetables to reach the goals reflected in the Educative Project of the centre.

3.3 Paperwork´s Autonomy.

In Spain, the education rules reforced the principle of the autonomy in the schools, in the economy paperworks and in the organization. To improve the school´s autonomy, we suggest:

The Public Administration have to include the conditions in which the public centres can formulate the titulation and the specific qualification necessary to achieve the educational projects.

The Public Administration have to contribute the economic, material and human resources.

The Private and Public Schools have to count with special attention necessary to children who have problems (mental and physical).

3.4 Conclusions.

The National and International Studies say that the centres ‘Autonomy is essential in order to get educational systems with quality.

The increase of the autonomy have to do in a gradual form, considering that it implicate a deep change about the traditional educational practices.

Our suggestions have some objectives like quality and equity:

The autonomy is joined at the evaluation and the counts. The Educational Administration have to inform to the centres, about the dials that will

use in the educational process. The Educational Administration have to take on initiatives in order to do the School´s

Direction something that can be effective and attractive. The cooperation between the family and the School in order to improve the activities

that can form reciprocal agreements. The Educational Administration have to develop the educational, organizational and

paperwork autonomy in the educational centres.

Finally we have to improve the development of the children in order to resolve their problems. For all of that the teacher have to be a role model for their children, in this way the work, effort and the ambient will be successful and wonderful.

T/F Question:

1. The leader must ensure good communication from the Centre with families, with students and between teachers. False

2. The goal of schools consist in achieve quality with equity. True

3. In Pedagogical Autonomy it is proposed to include Basic Competences but resting mathematic and linguistic. False

4. Organizational Autonomy must be fixed to a rules to guarantee the centre’s adaptation. False

5. The autonomy is joined at the evaluation and the counts. True

Option Question:

1. Participation is the basis of our democratic State and law. For this reason, we propose the following actions:

a) To promote the participation of families.

b) School councils make annually the internal evaluation of the actions as a base to set commitments for the next course.

c) Both are correct.

2. Leadership in school:

a) Musn’t be shared, is for one person.

b) Must be shared.

c) It depends on the centre.

3. Educational administration must enhance:

a) Creation of centre networks

b) Experiences and practices of pedagogical innovation

c) Both are correct

4. In Spain, the education rules reforced:

a) The Educational Administration.

b) The Public Administration.

c) The principle of the autonomy in the schools, in the economy paperworks and in the organization.

5. The National and International Studies say that:

a) The centres´ autonomy is essential in order to get educational systems with quality.

b) The educational administration has to inform to the centres.

c) The cooperation between the family and the schools in order to improve the activities.