School District Governance, Autonomy, and Decision Making in the Canadian Context: Preliminary Findings From a Canada-Wide Study

• In Event: Roundtable Session 52
  In Roundtable Session: Issues at the Top: School Board Governance and Women in the Superintendency

Abstract

Across Canada there have been numerous recent examples of incidents where the political and ideological interests of provincial governments have run counter to the mandates of school districts. In this pan-Canadian study, focus groups were conducted with school board trustees and school district superintendents to examine the relationships between districts and provincial governments. Preliminary data suggest that the significance of the school district apparatus in Canada has diminished as provincial governments have enacted a radical centralization agenda. We theorize that in a politicized environment, the values, reward systems and accountabilities against which school board superintendents and trustees operate are likely to differ substantively from those of politicians and bureaucrats, thereby creating a policy environment that is antagonistic to local governance.

Authors

• Gerald J. Galway, Memorial University

• Bruce L. Sheppard, Memorial University

• John R. Wiens, University of Manitoba

• Jean Brown, Memorial University