Making sense of school autonomy: the case of Kazakhstan

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• David Bridges (University of Cambridge), Kairat Kurakbayev (Nazarbayev University) and Aizhan Omarbekova (Nazarbayev University)
• Thursday 09 October 2014, 17:00-17:45
• Faculty of Education, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PQ, DMB, Room 2S7.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Laura Carnicero.

Notions of ‘autonomy’ feature widely in official papers and in discussions about school reform in Kazakhstan. This paper discusses the notion of autonomy from perspectives of school leaders, teachers, boards of trustees and parents. The purpose is to trace ‘policy rationalities’ and understandings of different stakeholders of the school autonomy reform. In the first part of this paper, we examine different concepts of school autonomy developed internationally, distinguished by reference to (i) who rules the autonomous school (ii) what spheres of autonomy are permitted (iii) what forms of accountability are maintained, and, importantly, (iv) the underlying normative or ideological framework. In the second part we turn to the ways in which the concept of school autonomy is being understood and expressed in the official discourses of educational reform in Kazakhstan. Finally, we draw on 153 extended interviews and observations conducted in schools in five regions of Kazakhstan during the Spring of 2014.

This talk is part of the Kazakhstan Programme Research Seminar Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Faculty of Education, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PQ, DMB, Room 2S7
• All Faculty of Education Seminars
• FERSA - All Events
• Kazakhstan Programme Research Seminar Series

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.