Eight Education Systems

Résumé du livre

A comparative analysis of staff allocation in the six Australian States, the Australian Capital Territory, and New Zealand, this report describes existing structures and policies at the education system level and identifies innovative policies worthy of further examination. After an explanation of the background and conceptual framework of this study, the changing structures of the education systems over the past decade are discussed, particularly the devolution of authority to schools, including greater responsibility for curriculum development and administration, and the movement toward administrative decentralization of the Australian systems. The following chapters describe variations in the size and structure of schools among the systems studied, and the number and characteristics of teachers and other staff. A chapter on the allocation of personnel resources to government schools discusses the mechanisms of staff allocation and the formulae determining allocations. Teacher salary costs are detailed, and the final chapter offers policy options in response to pressures for change. Recommendations include coordination of different sectors of education systems, further devolution of administration to regional offices, progress toward more appropriate structure and size of schools, school-based curriculum development, and greater school authority for staff selection. Appendixes include classification of teachers and notes to the numerous tables. (MJL)