2017, Quesel, Carsten, Näpfli, Jasmin, Buser, Patricia

Abstract Purpose: The study is focused on the question of how principals in Swiss compulsory schools evaluate civic and parental participation in education governance. Public management reforms in Switzerland have led to the implementation of semiautonomous school administration and the encouragement of professional leadership. Thus, the traditional role of school boards has come under scrutiny. Research Methods/Approach: Using the theoretical framework of actor-centered institutionalism, the study compares patterns of education policies in Swiss cantons and analyzes data of a principals’ survey by structural equation modelling. Findings: The views of principals concerning lay participation in school governance reveal a multifaceted picture. Principals affirm lay participation on the levels of the right to be informed, the right to be heard, and the right to volunteer; they regard with skepticism the authority of lay participants to make decisions. Implications for Research and Practice: Principals tend to insist on professional discretion and opt against the blurring of boundaries between schools and their social environment. This implies the self-justification of professional leadership. That such self-justification does not derive from a neutral perspective, but is an expression of stakeholder interests, has to be taken into account.

2014-02-01T00:00:00Z, Quesel, Carsten, Näpfli, Jasmin, Kübler, Daniel, Buser, Patricia, Gundelach, Birte

2015, Näpfli, Jasmin, Quesel, Carsten, Buser, Patricia, Kübler, Daniel, Dlabac, Oliver

2015, Näpfli, Jasmin, Quesel, Carsten, Buser, Patricia

Auf die Frage, wie Schulen in der Demokratie zu verankern sind, gibt es verschiedene Antworten. In der Schweiz spielen hier - ähnlich wie in den USA - lokale Schulkommissionen eine wichtige Rolle.Der Beitrag schildert den aktuellen Entwicklungsstand dieser Form der Bürgerbeteiligung und nutzt Daten einer Schulleitungsbefragung, um Probleme und Zukunftsperspektiven zu skizzieren.