A current international trend in education reform is the devolution of decision-making
powers from central level to the school level. Together with certain structural reforms
regarding shared decision-making, the South African government has also initiated
programmes of curriculum reform, and a general drive to improve the culture of teaching
and learning in schools. The devolution of authority through decentralisation is the first
dimension of school-based management. The second dimension of school-based
management refers to the participation of stakeholders. The key changes in the way
schools in South Africa are organised with regard to the role of principals are outlined in
this article. Two reform initiatives, whole school evaluation and developmental appraisal
are briefly described. The article concludes with a model for management of resistance
to change
