Recommendations for Challenges Faced by Heads of Schools
Recommendations for Challenges Faced by Heads of Schools
Introduction
In the society, the character and unity majorly depends on the behaviour in our learning institutions. Schools are considered as one of the rare foundations that are seen to enhance cohesion in families through socialisation and investing in learning. Education assists people to realize the logic of making changes by also encouraging development through the process of lifetime education. Communicating and great use of acquaintance are equally very important in helping in the management of student behaviour. The society is seen to suffer due to lack of proper education due to bad student behaviour but prosper if it is available. Therefore, the greatest investment is seen to be education of the people. In order to achieve this, there is need to set out the guidelines that will assist the school heads in the management of student behaviours. A learning institution believes that in order to achieve its goals, all officers in that particular institution are all obliged to take part in professional advancement programs that are designed by the system. The recommendations include:
Engaging in professional development with fellow associates in the schools so that they are able to learn from each other and also assisting each other therefore holding each other liable for what they put into practice (McArdle and Coutts, 2010). To achieve this, hiring of substitute officers to enable the meeting the institution officers in learning groups or peer observation. Application of what they learn within their work stations enables the students become the sole beneficiaries.
The officers can meet during the work hours or funding them to meet on a certain day set aside from the normal working day. Addition of development duration for the school officers in the course of the year i.e. allowing little working time for the officers as well as combination of spare time in the professional development block. This can also be realized by allocating specific days in school schedule where learners are released earlier to enable the officers devote some time to learning.
School leaders can’t absolutely have a say on the teachers’ beliefs but they can as well develop an atmosphere that is suitable for the education of learners and put in measures that can enhance association (Hopkins et al., 2014). Association among the staff will boost the morale of teachers in experimenting new concepts and therefore lead to improved student morals. The collective effort of the officers will enhance the ability of the department to effectively plan and carry out instructions effectively (Darling-Hammond and Lieberman, 2013). The effectiveness is attributed to the vast experiences and backing from members of staff to try out new guidelines and observe enhancements in the learners.
Integration of Services through Cooperation
(Harris, 2013) Association between the school officers initiates a positive learning atmosphere for the students thus leading to good moral behaviours. Institutions with conducive learning atmosphere offer enough resources to assist in the instruction components. Instead of anticipating student behaviour as the main outcome for the development program, the aim of the model is to also incorporate all the services for both the learners and parents by initiating great student behaviour and social culture within the school environment and learning culture. (Cheng, 2013) Incorporated services will enhance sustainability and reduction of duplicative efforts therefore assurance from the officers is vital.
Building of an educational system based on instructional leadership. Tutors are most viable in terms of student accomplishment. They are accountable for the outcome of teaching and also learning in schools.For this to be realized, (Osler, 2011) cohesion between the school heads and other officers in schools should be enhanced. Also ensuring that they undertake practical development opportunities based on the system.
Using information technology in the provision of access to content and professional development. Technology in the form of the internet can be to offer officers in schools access to various learning capabilities. If technology is incorporated to in the system of instructional improvement therefore it can be of help in the reduction of costs, increasing the impact levels and also offer development in previous inaccessible ways.
Legal Framework to Support and Advice Heads of Schools
This is to provide guidance to the school heads in the developing of a school behaviour strategy which will elaborate more on the powers that one can acquire in the disciplinary action towards students. The main aim is to recommend an outline of the powers to be used by the school heads. Teachers to have the authority to administer disciplinary action against misbehaving students in or out of the institution depending on the circumstances that may arise. The power should be accorded to all officers on a payroll such as teaching assistants charged with the responsibility of handling the students. The school heads should adopt the use of rewards to assist in managing the students’ behaviour.
The school heads ought to create procedures that outline the policy on student behaviour whose main aim is to promote respect, respectable behaviour and self-discipline (Ball, Maguire and Braun 2012). This will help in regulating the conduct of the students. When making a decision on the measures to be put in place, (Erchul and Martens, 2010) the school head should consider the statement provided by the governing body based on the conduct policies. The school head must take into account any regulation stated by the governing body which includes the authority to make use of force or corporal punishment, the authority to castigate beyond the institution’s environment and also the need to engage with other agencies in assessing the students that display disorderly behaviour.
(Ball et al., 2011)The school head ought to adopt the level of morality that is expected of students and is therefore responsible for setting out the rules and regulations in administering disciplinary action to those students that break the law. The school head should make public the schools’ policy either in writing, to parents and students for at least once every year. (Gibton, 2013) In the case that an institution does not have a website, then the governing body should make preparations in order for the policy to published in a website and share the details with parents .It is therefore important that the policy is crystal clear and well understood by members of staff, learners and should be applied constantly. In drafting the policy, the school head should include some aspects that if they turn out to be effective, they will contribute immensely to the improvement of the quality of the students’ behaviour (Bowe, Ball and Gold 2017). The aspects include constant approach to management of behaviours, exemplary institutional leadership, Rewards, development of staff and providing assistance and also liaising with parents and other law enforcement agencies.
The institutions legal obligations should hereby be acknowledged by the school’s behaviour policy in reference to preserving the learners’ rights. The policy should also spell out the disciplinary action that will be administered to learners if they are found to have committed an offence of spreading allegations against members of staff. (Wilkins, 2015) Staff within the school can as well castigate students whose manner is below the required standard expected of them. This implies that if a student disobeys any school rule then a teacher or member of staff is liable to punishing the student. To be within the law the punishment should meet certain conditions such as: The resolution to punish a student should be done by a member of staff or teaching staff sanctioned by the school head. (Maguire, Ball and Braun, 2010).The punishment should be made within precincts of institution while putting into consideration that any student is under a member of staff and should not in any way break other guidelines and be sensible at all times.
The school head has the ability to limit the powers in the application of some punishments to certified staff or to volunteer guardians that may offer help during a school trip (Dimmock,2013). In establishing if a punishment is realistic, according to a clause in the law found in the education law states that castigation should remain realistic considering the students age and religious obligations that may affect them. Teachers have the legislative mandate to discipline students who exhibit an unacceptable behaviour either breaking school rules or failing to follow certain instructions.
The punishment can be administered at any point in time. Schools should put in place a wide range of preferences in terms of rewards to encourage good moral behaviours and strict restrictions against those that do not observe the school policy. This will enhance fair and equal response in regard to the age and other instances that may affect the students. The restrictions should be adhered to strictly and fairly in accordance with policy guidelines. The measures may include detention, community-based service and also loss of opportunities.
The law will allow castigation of students for misbehaving outside the institution’s environment if it is deemed to be realistic. The duration in which the detention punishment can be administered is when a student is not permitted to be absent on any school day, on non-teaching days and also during weekends. (Gray, Miller and Noakes, 2013) The school head will have powers to determine which member of staff can place students in detention. Example departmental heads or all staff that include support staff can enforce detentions. The matters in which schools ought to consider when executing detentions include the approval from parents or guardians is not put into consideration and that any member should act realistically considering the situation when enforcing detention.
Members of staff shouldn’t enforce detention in the event that it will endanger the life of the student. When enforcing the detention punishment during non-working hours, the following should be considered: if the student will be at risk, if the student displays remorsefulness meaning that detention shouldn’t be enforced and lastly if appropriate travelling arrangements can be organised by either the parent or the student.
Seizure of inappropriate objects whereby the law enables the staff to seize items. The set of legislation include: (Yudof et al., 2011) the general power of discipline that permits any member of staff to seize and disposing off of student’s stuff as a way of punishment as long it considered to be sensible in regard to the situation leading to the seizing of the property. The rule of law shields them from being liable to any loss or damage of any of the seized items provided that it is accordance with law. The law does not clearly indicate what action should be undertaken with the seized item and the policy may outline this. (Menzies and Bruhn 2010)The command to search without consent for illegal and prohibited items such as alcohol, illegal drugs and also items that were stolen. Also, any piece that is likely to instigate an offence, causing destruction of property and also any item that is considered illegal within the school policy. Crude weapons ought to be handed over to the law enforcement authorities, else a teacher is to resolve whether to return the seized item.
(Skolnick, 2011)Members of staff are therefore liable to use a realistic amount of force in preventing students from doing harm to others or destroying property and also in the maintenance of order and discipline within or outside the school’s environment. School heads may also impose that kind of force in situations of searching for illegal items that could be used in doing harm or offence. Learning institutions may implement a policy that consents to making disorderly students be placed in isolation for a restricted duration which is referred to as seclusion. If seclusion is implemented as punishment, then it should be clearly outlined in the behaviour guidelines. The institution is to guarantee that the welfare of the students in terms of health and safety. The member of staff has the power to decide what a student can or cannot do during that particular period.