Abstract:

Two key policy expectations of decentralisation of education management are the assumptions of strong leadership at the school level and accountability of schools to communities in which they are located. Researching two school communities in Ghana, the study examined how accountability and leadership enhance or limit school goverance. Comparing and contrasting examples of two schools and their communities, the findings suggest that where accountability principles are upheld and enforced, this is reflected not only in teachers’ professional approaches to work, but it also has the potential of enhancing school governance resulting in the fulfillment of mutual expectations of both school and community. Evidence also suggests that school management’s leadership style largely shapes the relationship between the community and school and that where school leadership is weak, or feels undermined, its inability to exercise authority leads to the breakdown of accountability. These findings highlight the need to train head teachers in school leadership and make the argument for leadership even more compelling, considering the inadequacy of resources available in rural contexts. In effect, greater attention to accountability and leadership development could make a difference to public school governance. The study concludes that the ability of school and community to engage to improve governance in schools depend on how far leadership at these levels perceive their mutual interdependency to be a truly symbiotic relationship.

Keywords:

Governance, Accountability, Leadership, School, Community.