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.
The New ‘U’
Today's talk about tenure must be framed within broader discussions about the role of the university. Our university system is now over one hundred years old, the “Old-Time College” is gone, the “cold war” university is no longer viable, and the foundations of the modern “multiversity” are cracking, so it is time to talk about change. But change is not necessarily reform, and resisting change probably will not keep things the way they are, so academics must understand the forces reshaping the university. Whenever I listen to colleagues defend the status quo by saying that the United States has a university system that is the envy of the world, I hear echoes of the Detroit automobile industry's casual dismissal of foreign competitors in the early 1960s. The decision not to change did not preserve the auto industry, and it is unlikely to preserve public universities as we know them. The current debates about tenure began with ideological attacks on “tenured radicals” who used their secure jobs to subvert conservative cultural values. The attack on tenure gathered steam as fiscal hawks in financially-strapped states looked for ways to save money and found huge state university systems with budgets to match. When asked why he robbed banks, the legendary Willie Sutton replied, “Because that's where the money is.” When asked why they are robbing tenure, legislators, regents, and administrators reply, “Because that's where the money is.” Personnel costs are a large share of university budgets and tenure ties the hands of administrators and legislators accustomed to using purse strings to control universities.