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takeshi*edu.hokudai.ac.jp
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School Management
Pedagogical Foundations of Education
Pedagogical Foundations of Education
Today, growing up in the public education system can be extremely difficult. In fact, some children spend their entire childhood without going to school at all. Knowing that schooling can be easier said than done, I believe that schools should be run democratically and serve as places where all children can be provided rich learning opportunities and achieve personal growth in a pleasant environment.
School management theories, educational administration studies, educational law studies
1) Theoretical and empirical studies on the management and organization of today’s schools
2) Comparative study on educational governance reforms in Japan and the U.S.
3) Study on the development of expertise in educational professions
School improvement, distributed leadership theory, professional learning community, educational governance, board of education system, creation of schools open to the community, fusion of school education and social education, in-school studies (lesson studies)
School management theory addresses what defines a school that guarantees the right to education and model organizational characteristics and management. Ideal school management requires both internal and external aspects of education to be addressed: internal aspects with a focus on the development and learning of children as well as educational content and practices; and external aspects with a focus on the development of educational policies, educational law systems and educational administration. Based on my awareness of these issues, I previously focused on educational governance reform in American urban school districts and studied challenges confronting the realization of democratic school management and educational governance.
In Japan, it has been quite some time since government policy emphasized the leadership of school principals to achieve autonomous school management in the 1990s, when decentralization reforms were implemented. In the U.S. and Europe, however, school management theories and school leadership studies no longer view individuals in specific positions (e.g., school principals) in a heroic light. Rather, an increasing number of people who engage in educational practices are theoretically positioned as important elements of school leadership. In particular, distributed leadership theory holds that leadership in school management involves both various stakeholders (e.g., teachers and local residents) and contextual factors (e.g., school culture and conditions). As such, the theory provides a perspective from which to clarify the complex and dynamic nature of school management. Practical application of ideas based on the theory has already started in school management and school improvement.
My current research interests include how to assess Japan’s school management process, which aims to achieve autonomous school management, in light of the new theory mentioned above and its practical implementation. I am also interested in school management theory that supports challenging initiatives at schools and in communities to address contemporary issues. With these in mind, I am currently engaged in studies incorporating two perspectives: (1) comparison with related theories and practices in the U.S. and Europe and (2) collaboration between education and other areas of expertise (e.g., welfare).
