School changes and the Solomon Islands secondary principal
This article examines the changed nature of Solomon Islands secondary schools. It discusses how, since the mid 1990s, the secondary school has changed in terms of its type (national, provincial and community), student numbers and composition, staffing, class levels and location. It asserts that the secondary school has changed, and, with it, the role of the principal. The paper argues that the principal who understands the changed nature of the secondary school of today is more likely to provide effective leadership for the school.
Solomon Islands school leaders readiness for inclusive education
The inclusion of students with disabilities was initiated by the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development in the Solomon Islands in 2013. This paper investigates the knowledge, skills, and values of school leaders in public and private schools in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, in regard to providing support for inclusive education in their respective schools. Completed questionnaires were received from 85 leaders of secondary, primary, and early childhood centres. Results indicate that while leaders are very positive about their abilities to support their schools they still need professional learning in specific areas related to inclusive education. The implication of this for preparing school leaders for inclusive education in the Solomon Islands is discussed.
School Effectiveness and School Improvement: Voices from the Field
ABSTRACT In 1986, the Halton Board of Education in Ontario, Canada initiated an Effective Schools Project. In previous papers we have described the evolution of this project in detail (Stoll and Fink, 1988, 1989a, 1989b, Fink and Stoll, 1992). Our intent in this paper is to provide a retrospective of the past few years to provide some helpful insights into the change process in school systems. To develop this article, we went back to our original work (Stoll and Fink, 1988). This was probably a mistake. If not a mistake, at least it was humbling. What seemed so crystal clear when we started has changed remarkably by 1993. Our work has been somewhat of an odyssey. In the years since we began, we have altered directions, shifted ground, abandoned ‘brilliant’, but unworkable models, and learned an incredible amount about school effectiveness and school improvement. In this article we will review the project briefly, outline some key results, describe what we have learned about school effectiveness and improv...