The role of high school principals in leading and managing their schools : a case study of Huye District in Rwanda.

This study aims at understanding how Rwandan high school principals lead and manage their schools, drawing on concepts of school culture. The research focuses on educational leadership and management in a post-conflict country which is still rebuilding following the 1994 genocide. The author intends to provide an original contribution to the field of education, notably in establishing how Rwandan high school principals exercise their responsibilities. The study is exploratory and explanatory research that focuses on how principals collaborate with partners, facilitate and participate in the development, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared, supported and owned by the school community. The main focus is on how the principals advocate, nurture, and sustain a school culture and instructional plans conducive to students’ learning and staff professional development. Data collection followed a mixed-methods approach, quantitative and qualitative, and consisted of two phases, the first being survey research, using a questionnaire, and the second being a case study approach with two secondary schools. The survey was adapted from Phillips and Wagner’s (2003), and Wagner and Masden-Copas’ (2002), model of School Culture Triage Survey. It was intended to quantitatively explain how the leadership and management of the school principal impacted on school culture, while the semi-structured interviews, within the case studies, were designed to explore the school principal’s leadership and management from a range of perspectives. These two phases were conducted using different research tools. The first phase of data collection was conducted by administering semi-structured interviews with the principals of all 14 high schools in the Huye District. In this phase, all the 14 participants had the same interview schedule, which targeted the role of these principals in leading and managing their schools. The interview schedule was structured but also provided potential for probes and prompts. The survey was followed by the two case studies, the highest and lowest ranked schools in the survey. The case studies aimed to explore the main responsibilities of the principals, how they relate to other stakeholders, and how they lead and manage staff and other resources. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with eight participants in each school, via documentary analysis, and through shadowing the two principals. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data analysis followed a thematic approach. The findings show that principals in the Huye district of Rwanda are constrained by a centralized education system with predetermined rules and mandates from higher authority. The results also demonstrate that they have little autonomy and limited participation in decision-making on curricular and pedagogical issues. A review of the traditional top-down, hierarchical and managerial leadership is required to enhance school-based leadership and management

La faible incidence de la recherche africaine en éducation sur les pratiques de classe

Cet article discute diverses problématiques qui limitent l’accès, la production et la transférabilité des nouveaux savoirs issus de la recherche en éducation en contexte africain. Sont abordées notamment les incidences de la persistance de la culture d’« exportation » des schèmes de pensées et d’action développés hors contexte sur la faible contextualisation de la connaissance ; la réticence des enseignants à s’approprier les nouveaux savoirs ou dispositifs pédagogiques par peur de la surcharge du travail et la faible réceptivité des élèves et des parents face aux réformes et aux nouveaux savoirs. L’article traite ensuite des usages « orientés » que les acteurs politiques font des données de recherches et suggère enfin quelques pistes pouvant aider à faire bénéficier les praticiens du potentiel de la recherche.This article discusses various issues that limit the access to and the production and transferability of new knowledge resulting from education research in the African context. In particular, it discusses the effects of the persistence of the culture of “exporting” schemas of thought and action that have been developed out of context on the weak contextualization of knowledge; the reluctance of teachers to appropriate new knowledge or education provisions for fear of overwork; and the low receptivity of students and parents to reforms and new knowledge. The article then considers political actors’ “directed” uses of research data and suggests some avenues that could help practitioners benefit from the potential of research.Este artículo examina algunas problemáticas que limitan el acceso, la producción y la transferibilidad de los nuevos saberes que provienen de la investigación en educación en un contexto africano. Se abordan aquí en particular las incidencias de la persistencia de la cultura de “exportación” de los esquemas de pensamientos y de acción desarrollados fuera de contexto sobre una escasa contextualización del conocimiento, y se consideran también la reticencia de los docentes para apropiarse los nuevos saberes o dispositivos pedagógicos por temor a una sobrecarga de trabajo, así como la poca receptividad de los alumnos y de los padres frente a las reformas y a los nuevos saberes. El artículo trata luego de los usos “orientados” que los actores políticos hacen de los datos de las investigaciones y sugiere algunas pistas que pueden ayudar a que los profesionales de la enseñanza se beneficien del potencial de la investigación

La recherche en éducation

La crise de la Covid-19 a mis en lumière l’importance de la parole des chercheurs dans la prise de décision politique. Qu’en est-il dans le domaine de l’éducation ? Comment s’articulent les relations entre la recherche en éducation, la décision politique et l’action de terrain ? Quel est le pouvoir des différents acteurs et où est-il situé ? Ce numéro analyse des contextes variés : France, Chine, Mexique, Russie, Suède ou encore Pays de Galles ou Québec, et élargit la réflexion au cas de l’Afrique et des pays arabes. Il met en évidence les différents équilibres en place et leur impact sur l’éducation. Une coopération étroite entre les sphères de la recherche, de la décision et de l’action semble plus que jamais nécessaire pour que les systèmes éducatifs puissent répondre aux besoins d’éducation et faire face aux mutations sociétales. Ce dossier tente ainsi de dégager les conditions qui permettraient de créer de l’intelligence collective au bénéfice de la qualité de l’éducation. The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of the voice of researchers in political decision-making. What about in the field of education? How do the relationships between education research, political decision-making and action on the ground intersect? What is the power of the different players and where is it located? This issue analyses various contexts: France, China, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, Wales and Quebec, and broadens the reflection to the case of Africa and Arab countries. It highlights the different equilibria in place and their impact on education. Close cooperation between the spheres of research, decision-making and action seems more necessary than ever in order for education systems to be able to meet educational needs and face up to societal changes. This dossier thus attempts to tease out which conditions would make it possible to create collective intelligence to support the quality of education. La crisis de la Covid-19 ha puesto en evidencia la importancia de la palabra de los investigadores en la toma de decisión política. ¿Se puede llegar a semejante constatación en el campo de la educación? ¿Cómo se articulan las relaciones entre la investigación en educación, la decisión política y la acción en el terreno? ¿Cuál es el poder respectivo de los diferentes actores y dónde se sitúa? Este número analiza unos contextos variados: Francia, China, México, Rusia, Suecia, Gales o Quebec, y amplia la reflexión a los casos de África y de los países árabes. Pone en evidencia los distintos equilibrios instaurados y su impacto en la educación. Una cooperación estrecha entre las esferas de la investigación, de la decisión y de la acción parece más que nunca necesaria para que los sistemas educativos puedan responder a las demandas de educación y se enfrenten con las mutaciones de las sociedades. Este dossier intenta así identificar las condiciones que permitirían crear una inteligencia colectiva en beneficio de la calidad de la educación