Publications

Leadership, stakeholders and learner performance in four Western Cape schools

Working paper 61

Download pdf

Ursula Hoadley, Brian Levy, Lawule Shumane and Shelly Wilburn
Abstract
This paper explores some micro-level governance and political economy
determinants of performance over time in four schools in low-income areas in the
Cape Town metropolitan area. The findings are consistent with a pattern evident in
many parts of the world – the reality of dysfunction beneath the surface of seemingly
well-organised bureaucratic processes. They are also consistent with broader
research, which points to the weakness – in the specific Western Cape demographic
profile, which is the focus – of constructive input from school governing bodies,
communities or other non-governmental actors. As a way forward, the paper
proposes pragmatism and incrementalism – relatively modest tweaks capable of
achieving seemingly small (but potentially far-reaching in their consequences)
improvements in the functioning at school level of both hierarchical and horizontal
systems of governance.