ABSTRACT
In Chapter 5 various models of the school as an organization were discussed. The more traditional perspective of the school, as a ‘professional bureaucracy’ depicted the school as a relatively horizontal structure, a lot of autonomy of the teachers and a minimal need for hierarchical management. Ideas on school leadership, to some extent inspired by the concept of “educational” or “instructional leadership” from school effectiveness research modified this image, in the sense that the primary process of teaching was now seen as “coordinated” and at least marginally controlled by others, notably the school director. The discussion in Chapter 5 ended by considering the reality and feasibility of the school as a “learning organization”, in which the evaluation and feedback function was seen as being of central importance. All these considerations are extremely important as it comes to estimating the possibilities for school self-evaluation. If the more traditional view is still the most valid description of reality, school self-evaluation would be deemed to be a marginal phenomenon in schools.
