How to include students and parents in school decisions.

Back in the 1970s, decisions about schools were made for us. Education was bureaucratic, paternalistic and centralised. However, in 1973, the Karmel Report called out government influence on school decisions. The recommendations from the report scrutinised top-down management and argued that improved educational outcomes require individual agency for teachers, school leaders, parents and students. It stated,

responsibility should be devolved as far as possible upon the people involved in the actual task of schooling, in consultation with the parents of pupils they teach and, at a senior level, with students themselves (Karmel, 1973, p. 11).

Karmel’s report sparked a change in Australian schooling. Schools sought the perspectives of the very people they were serving: students and parents.

There are many names for a collaborative approach to school decisions: distributed leadership, school based management, shared leadership, and shared decision making (SDM). SDM is a democratic and contextualised decision making process, resulting in collaborative action towards common goals. Instead of principals holding the authority in the school, agency is shared between students, parents, teachers, administration and district officers. Involving everyone in the school community can be a challenge as people step into unfamiliar roles in the school and as the processes of SDM are debated. However, with a clear understanding of roles in shared decision making and the processes required to enact SDM, schools can authentically involve students and parents in administrative, pedagogical and curriculum decisions.

Shared Decision Making Process

We see some great examples of SDM in schools everywhere: school councils, student councils, Parent and Community groups and school forums. These opportunities for SDM promote the regular exchange of ideas and information through frequent open and inclusive discussion. Crucial to the success of these forums are defining roles in the SDM team:

• District offices have a responsibility to prioritise SDM and set clear policies and goals that support decision-making by all stakeholders in schools

• Principals lead and devolve responsibility. They disperse power, promote a schoolwide commitment to growth and encourage the school community to participate in the decision making process, providing the appropriate resources and training to do so.

• Teachers ultimately have control over the ways in which decisions are introduced in the classroom. They are responsible for enacting the decisions and providing a conduit between schools and families.

• Students provide first hand perspectives on how their education can be improved and make decisions that affect their learning.

• Parents (including guardians) provide knowledge of their childrens’ education and provide a valuable insight into local demands. Parents make decisions in the interest of children rather than the staff.

Once roles are established, the SDM team can work towards establishing a shared purpose and understanding for SDM through:

• vision

• trust

• power distribution

• communication

• seeking action in addition to consensus

• collaboration towards solving problems and

• negotiating decisions

In establishing a shared purpose for SDM, schools avoid stakeholders ‘playing the game’ to protect themselves from external threats or saying what they perceive others (particularly autocratic principals or outspoken teachers) want to hear.

Another crucial component to effective enacment of SDM is identifying the scope of SDM. Decisions made in schools should be about schools and include a balance between administrative and educational matters. Those involved in SDM make decisions about:

• budgeting

• scheduling

• program coordination

• curriculum

• teaching

• school philosophy

• assessment

• resource allocation

• staff improvement plans and

• timetable scheduling

The final component for engaging genuine participation in SDM is adequate resource allocation, particularly time and training. Teachers who feel they have time to wholeheartedly commit to participating in SDM activities, feel a sense of ownership. Training needs include:

• conflict management

• effective communication

• active listening

• group decision making

• consensus building and

• leadership training

Using SDM in schools aim to respond to and understand the school community’s values and beliefs, building ownership, morale and commitment among stakeholders . When individuals have this opportunity to participate in SDM, they are afforded influence, autonomy and responsibility, which means productivity and efficiency of schools increase.