DECLINING SCHOOL ENROLMENTS: THE SEARCH FOR A RELEVANT PROCESS OF POLICY FORMATION
| Published date | 01 February 1982 |
| Pages | 184-199 |
| Date | 01 February 1982 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009861 |
| Author | JOHN L. DAVIES |
| Subject Matter | Education |
THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
VOLUME XX, NUMBER 2 SUMMER, 1982
DECLINING SCHOOL ENROLMENTS: THE SEARCH FOR A
RELEVANT PROCESS OF POLICY FORMATION1
JOHN L. DAVIES
This paper considers the problems of developing a policy formation process to cope
with the issues created by declining school enrolments, principally those relating to
conflict and ambiguity. The paper is based on an analysis of a particular case study
of an US school district from which tentative conclusions are derived regarding the
political dynamics of policy generation; stages in policy formation; and leadership
styles appropriate to contraction.
INTRODUCTION
The recent decline in the UK birthrate, with its attendant consequences for
school and college enrolments, (and hence the supply of resources,
curriculum vitality, union relations, staff morale et al.) has been generally
received with considerable gloom and despondency by the British
educational fraternity. The prospect of a decline in demand following hot
on the heels of a decline in supply clearly has the potential of causing some
impressive upheavals within the system, and whilst we have not been
unused to upheavals, they have generally been those associated with
growth or merger rather than contraction. Over the last decade various
parts of the USA have experienced some savage contractions in local
school enrolments2 resulting in some equally savage repercussions in
educational delivery systems, and, equally significantly, the manner by
which those systems are governed and managed. Being a confirmed
student and practitioner of comparative education, the author spent a con-
siderable period researching the phenomenon of declining enrolments in
the USA, particularly in the States of Utah and New York, specifically to
see whether one could, by studying the US experience:
1.
predict the likely problems with which Britain will be confronted, given
comparable rates of contraction in enrolment;
2.
predict the consequences of current British LEA policies on declining
enrolment by observing the US experience;
3.
observe what approaches US school districts have developed to
JOHN L. DAVIES
is
Assistant Dean for Academic Planning and Development, and Director
of Higher Education Management Programmes at the Anglican Regional Management
Centre, North East London Polytechnic, UK. He has taught, researched and consulted with
EEC,
OECD, and many educational organizations in Europe, North America, India,
Australia and Latin America.
Davies 185
confront these problems, and what appear to be the characteristics of
effective and ineffective approaches;
4.
learn anything helpful in hindsight from the US experience, and under
what condition is it possible to adapt effective US approaches to
British needs.
It is not possible to look at the British scene at present without a certain
degree of disquiet at the context in which this considerable problem is
being approached. At the risk of gross over-simplification, the main
characteristics of the current situation seem to be:
1. a predominant hope by administrators, politicians, those in insti-
tutions, and by other community groups, that the problem will
somehow go away. This is reflected in many avoidance strategies,
(such as failure to close schools even when more funds are spent on
maintaining buildings than the educational programme); inventing
symbolic solutions; subtracting various pieces of fat on the basis of
short term decision-making;
2.
the absence of overt master strategies supported by adequate
information on demographics; community migration; building/plant
efficiency; personnel profiles; community involvement, and open
evaluations of schools;
3.
the unwillingness to be open with pressure groups (internal and
external) about available information, options open, resourcing
possibilities; and to involve them in policy formation.
Consequently, one finds a neglect of a conscious effort to build up
consensus, and a supportive environment to help decision-making in
the difficult times which lie ahead;
4.
the consequent aggressive reaction of pressure groups perceiving a
closed system, and the chain reaction on administrator and politician
attitudes;
5.
a tendency towards a fragmented approach to the generation of policy
(e.g. the relationship of personnel policy to curriculum policy; the
antipathy between local authorities and the education service, and
between many institutions and their LEA's).3 The scene is thus well
set for a largely competitive approach to the problem, rather than a
collaborative one;
6. a widespread tendency to view the situation as a problem, rather than
as an opportunity to improve the service. Quality reduction is by no
means a sine qua non, and there are many positive aspects to
declining enrolments as well as negative aspects;
7.
a tendency to go for soft impact/protectionist policies rather than
more radical rethinks of purpose and possibilities;
8. an over-reliance on traditional democratic fora such as education
committees for effective expressions of community feelings and
preferences, despite considerable questions against their credibility.
In short, we seem to be observing some depressing tendencies, and it
would thus be relevant to search the US experience for:
1.
a policy making process which helps local education systems
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