ABSTRACT
The concept of governance is finding its way into the lexicon of leaders and managers in education. Some observers are sceptical. It sounds as if those who use it are adopting a new form of jargon when they should be referring to government, or they are endeavouring to elevate what is essentially a straightforward approach to decision-making by the governing body of the school. Such scepticism is ill-founded because governance is precisely the right term to describe what is essential if schools in the century are to be transformed. It is an especially important concept in achieving alignment. Chapter 5 defines governance, explains the connections to social capital and financial capital, makes clear that good governance is necessary in alignment, and describes an instrument for selfassessment of a capacity for good governance and another that focuses on the acquisition and allocation of resources. The chapter concludes with a set of ‘enduring principles’, complementing ‘first principles’ (Chapter 1) and ‘core principles’ (Chapter 2).
