Thursday Online Presentation Session 3

Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration

Session Chair: Ombra Imam

12:55-13:20

68577 |

The Role of School Leaders in Countering Non-Traditional Factors of Inequality: A Reflection on the Italian Case

Valerio Ferrero, University of Turin, Italy

This contribution analyzes the role of school leaders in promoting equity in the Italian school system. It is a conceptual analysis that examines research conducted on Italian schools over the last decade. The focus is on how leaders can counter non-traditional factors of inequality: these dynamics are produced by the school itself due to its organizational culture and operational choices and cause inequality among students. They affect both different schools and classes in the same school, depend on national policies, individual schools’ choices and teachers’ educational action. In a school system such as Italy’s, where there is no career ladder for teachers and school autonomy allows each school to make autonomous choices in organizational, financial, managerial and instructional matters, school leaders play a crucial role in building a school community with precise pedagogical ideals and in coordinating the development of equity-oriented school educational policies to counter nontraditional factors of inequality. Here we will examine four non-traditional factors and leaders’ action to counteract them: (1) use of additional staff assigned to schools to enhance educational offerings; (2) access to middle school music courses; (3) financial contribution required from families; and (4) internal school segregation dynamics caused by the division of pupils into classes and the assignment of teachers to classes. The analysis will outline the profile of the equity-creating school leader, i.e., a professional who implements distributed leadership and middle management that transforms school realities for the better through the whole community's commitment to equity.

13:20-13:45

69159 | Madrasah Reforms in the Philippines: Basis for Strengthening Private Madaris in the Bangsamoro

Ombra Imam, Cotabato State University, Philippines

Maripaz Abas, Cotabato State University, Philippines

Madrasah is considered as the oldest center of education in the Southern Philippines and it plays a significant role in preserving Islamic faith, Muslim culture and tradition. However, despite its centuries-old of existence, the Philippine madaris (plural of madrasah) remain underdeveloped and struggling for survival due to decades of government neglect, limited supports and standardization. This study assessed the extent of implementation of and levels of satisfaction on these reforms undertaken by the Department of Education (DepEd) and private madaris in six areas: recognition/accreditation, curriculum, capacity building, financial support, monitoring and evaluation, and pupils’ assessment as bases for policy and program recommendations to improve private madaris. An embedded mixed-method design was adopted utilizing survey questionnaire and key informant interview from 100 teachers and asatidz and 5 key informants. Results revealed that DepEd generally implemented all madrasah reforms while private madaris highly implemented reforms on madrasah registration/recognition and accreditation and generally implemented the other five areas of reforms making the respondents satisfied of the reforms. The analysis also showed the reforms clearly manifested some successes but their limitations led to some failures suggesting that new policies and programs are needed to be undertaken by the education ministry of a more powerful autonomous government to achieve full reforms of madaris in the Bangsamoro.