Innovational Management of the Basic School
through the example of the Dalton Plan
by Vladimír Moškvan (2001)

CONTENTS:
1.    Foreword: The Education for the 21^st century

2.   The Director Changes the School

3.   How to Implant Own Ideas for a School-change
      Support for Educational Trips Abroad

4.   Perspectives in applying the Dalton model
      The School in the Digital Age

5    Dalton Teacher
      Elements of Global Education in Educating the Dalton Teacher
      Atmosphere at a Dalton School

6.   Specifics of Managing the Dalton-School
      New Trends in School-Managements

7.   Important Dalton Schools Worldwide and Their Comparison
      New York Dalton School
      De Twijn Dalton School
      Sydney Dalton School
      Dalton Japan
      Dalton International 
 

1. The Education for the 21^st century

New possibilities in the social upturn are bound to the ability of orientation in information, on the ability of correct analysis and they have to be based on the solid frame of the basic constructs and relations. Fast changes in the structure of the society mean new situation for an individual. There appears a threat of job-loose. The demands for professional knowledge and practical skill are basically changed. The importance of general education is stressed. New dynamic firms, often internationally connected, ordain the norms on the work-market. The demands for independent thinking, teamwork, responsibility and communicative abilities together with the language-knowledge and PC managing become the ticket to the world of the prosperous.

What about the rest of the society? What about those who does not own a PC? How can school help to those, who are not so dynamic but need the integration into society? Is the school able to provide the pupils with the utensils for a successful future?

How to continue in our school system?

Classical education is looking backwards: study of the past won’t help the humans ability to foretell and handle every day in the future. Only the study of present with the past as a frame (and not groundwork) will prepare the pupils for the future. (Kovaliková; Olsenová: Integrated Topic-Based Education: Kroměříž: 1995)

It appears that many educators agree on the fact that not all the students study in the same way, but that they need to progress in individual speed. Not all the students are able to learn the topic impeccably and, moreover, apply the knowledge. The teachers also know that the encyclopedic knowledge is of no sense today – e.g. access to the Internet perfectly changes the attitudes of the pupils and mainly their potentials to reach the information. For all that we still meet teachers at schools who are not courageous to use the pupil’s knowledge learned out of school.

…

Teachers educated for their profession ten or twenty years ago are loosing temper with their pupils, who are more interested in new technology, those pupils to whom the dynamics of computer games is the custom and the static topic presentation at school goes around them.

Not only the speed of the technological progress, but also new phenomenon strike the school – we all have to get along with the threat of cloning humans, we respect differently globalization, which is omnipresent and has various shapes.

…

To be successful means to be able to use PC, speak various languages and communicate fast.

There arise numerous questions connected to this topic:

What is the influence of the economics on the school-system? What is the “product” that comes out of our schools? What “product” do we wish to have? What behavioral frames are produced by the prosperous? Do the pragmatic aims not deform the ethics?

…

The teachers will confirm that the atmosphere in the classrooms has changed distinctly in the past ten years. Awareness of teacher’s authority has dramatically altered. Do the teachers alter? Do they alter their attitudes? Are they able to change into the pupil’s advisors? Do they pull at the same end of the rope? Are they able to admit their fault? …

According to a personal research among 10 successful managers in the age of 25-35, it could be stated that this group appreciated those educators who let space for their pupil’s opinions, who supported logic thinking, who allowed students to organize the lesson, who were not afraid of improvisations, who integrated knowledge into logical systems, who were not scared to use new technologies, who had a broad knowledge and, not in the last had, a sense of humor.

How many teachers do really behave as a real personality? We dare to estimate that this number is small. Almost ever teacher puts a professional mask in the beginning of the day and puts it down at the end of education. It is safer to raise a barricade in the role of the teacher than to accept pupils as independent human individuals with own feelings and ideas, with both mistakes and merits. It seems risky to be earthborn with the students. (Pike; Selby: Global Education)

2. The Director Changes the School

It is necessary to start school-innovation immediately. However, there exists no universal formula for every school, because each environment demands specific phasing of steps. The changes could be supported vitally by an effective communication with the teachers. Colleagues with whom we work are afraid of altering the rooted style of organization. It is important to persuade them that the changes will have positive impact. The skill to be emphatic and be able to react thoughtfully is important for the school-management. The basic for effective communication is to omit isolation.

Some principles for successful changes-explanation:

-        Open communication clearly supporting the changes.

-        Explained anticipations.

-        Building of shared responsibility.

-        Reaching of the respect and acceptance of the persistent development of the school.

-        Creating of a working group.

New project has to be owned by all. It is also vital to secure that others could participate in changes. It is impossible to line all the employees together, for each of them has the right to accept the changes in different rate, or on a different level.

It is vital to support partial changes and evaluate positively partial successes, analyze failures and communicate openly for the whole time, listen to staff, speak unequivocally about the project, manage the feelings of fear tactfully, which show some less courageous colleagues. The sense-impression of insecurity could be removed by clearly repeated aims-formulation and giving examples of successful schools. In important impulse for an unconfident teacher could be visit of a successful school and her/his own experience with pupils that work under alternative forms of work. Never the persuasion should cross the sensitive borders. Motivation and support even of partial successes is vitally important.
 

3.  How to implant Own Ideas for a School-Change

Since 1990, when I experienced several praxes and short/term attachments in abroad (mainly in Holland) I realized that the change is Czech educational system is necessary…

It is logical that the real change of school-atmosphere has come slowly, but even small steps are motivational. During this phase it helped me much the Dutch materials and discussions with Dutch experts in Dalton, Roel Röhner and Hans Wenke.

Supports for the Educational Trips Abroad.

Trips abroad have persuaded us that there appear both prosperous schools and firms which products are sought after, but also schools and firms which are less successful and are under the threat of termination. Total marketing attitude towards the leadership is thus the most effective.

Prosperous are mainly those schools which apply their marketing-philosophy in all levels (even without recognizing it).

All the staff, from the headmaster to the caretaker, is in contact everyday with the school-customers, pupils, students, parents, public. They influence their relationship and attitude towards the school.

The education in the working-places belongs to the most stressed means of education in modern society. It emphasizes mainly the working experience, the role of experience from other similar fields. The experience from elsewhere means new views on traditional solutions. An important motivational factor is the individual’s education and motivating is personal exposure with the growth of the organization’s potential.

The most interesting attachments in the means of alternative methods of education were in Sweden and Switzerland.

Colleagues also often speak about friendly relationships among parents and teachers at Dalton School Piterskerkerkhof in Utrecht, where parents are “in service” and make coffee for teachers in advance their coming to work. They drink the coffee together before the lessons and they discuss the children’s marks and behavior in an informal way.

The school-culture is the mutual interaction of all the staff and the school management. It is the shared values and norms of behavior. Mostly Dutch and Scandinavian schools and, as a matter of fact, all the society in those countries seem to show way to other European schools.

It got interested me mainly  the schools at Pieterskerkhof in Utrecht  (NL), Amara Beri in San Sebastian (E), Millington in Portadown (UK) with the good communication with parents and the role of the school council. I witnessed sitting of the school council in Spanish school. The helpfulness, the openness and relaxed mode of the sitting was very likeable and motivating. The headmaster’s well-thought-out preparation for the meeting and her strong-minded advance was in the direct connection with the prosperity of the school. The experience from the Northern Ireland town has influenced my attitude towards conflict-solutions with the parents and pupils from diverse environments. …

I sensed similar communication channels at my attachments on schools in Sweden and Finland. It is possible to influence the macroclimate of the school and thus surprisingly also the microclimate.

The school should inform the parents regularly mainly about these topics:

-        The school results of the pupils with the information about the way of teaching.

-        The changes in the manner of education and reasons for it.

-        The contents and the range of education and the application of the knowledge.

-        The fruitfulness of the pupils.

-        The fruitfulness of the school within the region.

-        The change in the school climate.

An experienced headmaster of the school regularly informs the parents about changes in the school with the means of the printed handouts or at various school meetings. The handouts could be on a high level and they reflect the school creativity.

My attitudes towards the communication with the school’s macroclimate were distinctly influenced by my short-term attachments mostly in Holland. There were various school magazines (or a diverse printouts) that informed parents about the school actions, ideas of the management, or about contemporary school problems.

Almost all schools in Brno use similar ways of communication in combination with the web-presentation, which becomes a platitude of today.

Preparation of the teacher for the short-term attachments on Dalton school abroad

Association of Czech Dalton Schools has organized short-term attachments for more than 300 colleagues during the time of cooperation with Dutch partners. We have followed a plan for the attachments planning. We have planned them for at least 2-3 years in advance (note that there exist not only the short-term plans, but also the long term-plan of changing common school with some Dalton elements into full Dalton school). Because of the fact, that we plan the attachments for the Brno pilot Dalton schools for several years on February or March, it is vital for those teachers interested in Dalton method to pass their first courses in time from September to December, to make them start using at least some elements of Dalton education in their lessons.

The courses are organized by Association of Czech Dalton Schools in cooperation with the Education Department of the Magistrate of Brno and Dalton International.

…

The courses were held by Dutch experts lead by Roel Roehner and Hans Wenke in Brno and some other Moravian towns. They were financed by the City of Utrecht and some funds were given also from the PHARE Project. The Education Office and The Department of Education at the Magistrate of City of Brno have supported the Dalton Schools since 1998.

Since 1996 there have been involved into the courses the “specialists” – experienced Dalton teachers recruited from all pilot Dalton Schools in Brno – ZŠ (Basic School) Husova, ZŠ Chalabalova, ZŠ Křídlovická a ZŠ Mutěnická.

I want to stress that it was our aim to prepare as much effective attachment trip as possible during the preparatory phase, so all the teachers knew what elements they should observe. They knew in advance, what is ahead of them and they learned about the teaching style of the experts. All the teachers leaving for the attachment trip have had experience from the Czech education climate, which they have compared with the “proper” Dutch Dalton. I deliberately quote the word “proper”. For it is vital to mention that the Dutch colleagues are mostly afraid of dogmatism.

In all manners we support creative teachers and thus there is no exemplary Dalton school. Czech teachers have always learned something in Utrecht and so have learned Dutch teachers at Czech schools.

Adjoining products gained by applying the Dalton elements.

I authenticated through the work with the collective that even when there are some “tools” learned at the manager’s trainings, it is the life that brings (fortunately) some unpredictable situations. The adjoining product of the applying the changes at our school was creation of good relationships at our school and work on individual’s professional orientation.

Colleagues have realized that it is necessary to refresh language skills. I really esteem this important “product”.

Besides several passed courses in English and German (usually colleagues in the age between 30 – 50 years), two of my employees wrote a dissertation on Dalton.

4. Perspectives in applying the Dalton model

It is the teacher who, besides the school management, introduces new work styles. Not all the colleagues are willing to respect the change, and thus the headmasters of rebuild schools are seeking fitting young teachers. The limiting factors for having really creative and flexible teachers are mainly the reduced funding from The Department of Education at the Magistrate of City of Brno and from the school founder.

It is a truth generally acknowledged that it is not the salary that motivates the teacher.

Through the many years of practice I realized that the possibility of new working styles is not the problem of money. It is the problem of individual’s satisfaction and it touches the real reason of teaching. It is also the fulfilling of the desire for self-education.

School in the Digital Age

Considering new trends in the society and contemporary trends in education it is attractive to create an image of the school-for-the future. It seems to be obvious that the future school will automatically absorb all the principles of alternative school methods and it will be also highly technically equipped.

A form of inspiration for the future school organization could be seen in Arthur Anderson’s school in San Francisco. This school seems to be reaching the level of perfection. There are no classes and limited lessons. Disciplined students in the age of 12-18 have the access to all the modern technique and they work in so called Education Action Zones. Teacher comes to help the student only when the student as at loose with the topic. The teacher becomes a “guru”. The student’s activity, responsibility and the own working speed is dominant in the educational process... “(The Prague Post: July 2000)

What are the problems for the future school to solve?

The primary stage of education has to be prepared for the fact that many students will have other than only Czech parents. The integration of Eastern nations into Europe will definitely meet Czech Republic. The school-curriculum, created by schools themselves, will have to respect that there are more nationalities in classes. The need of communication in different languages will be stressed. Demands on the teacher grow higher but her/his society prestige will grow also. The teacher has to be aware of the continuous self-education. More teachers will teach at several schools and they will be able to exceed experience from school to school. The school-curriculum will have the lesser part compulsory and higher part optional. Each pupil will have its own chip-card (or something with a similar function), which will hold results in electronic form and it will allow him/her to follow the school-curriculum and syllabi of the lessons of concrete group/class.

The basic technical equipment of the school will use multimedia; access to information will be automatic for everybody from diverse part of the school.

…

Organization of the lessons will respect individual pupil’s consultations, it will be common the continual consultation for pupils, individual work and pupil’s responsibility during staying at the school.

The school will stress European aims of education.

The basic aims are:

        i)            Multiculturalism and internationalism.

       ii)            Language, social and communicative skills.

     iii)            Economic competence and expertise.

     iv)            The role and function of technical and technological progress.

      v)            Environmental responsibility.

     vi)            Historical and political connections and contexts.

   vii)            Social and democratic standards.

Skills and readiness.

        i)            Be able to use and live through divergent social and cultural situations.

       ii)            Spread abilities of understanding and respect.

     iii)            Orientation on new demands.

     iv)            Insight into necessity of socially acceptable technologies.

      v)            Respect towards individual, group and global opinions.

     vi)            The overdue of racism and nationalism.

   vii)            Study and evaluate different proposals of the “future”.

  viii)            Take part in the “right” solutions and democratic standards.

Besides the state budget, the school will be connected to the community, concrete firms in the community will support the school, and they will take the sponsorship of the school.

It is estimated from the last trends in EU that growth of good-organized micro-communities in towns will help the school to grow. It will grow support from parents and the school will be more open for parents and pupils. Good school will become the natural educational centre and it will offer a wide range of leisure time activities for the community.

5. The Dalton Teacher

As for the pupils also for the teachers in the Dalton schools, there are three basic rules valid:

• Responsibility.
• Independency.
• Collaboration.

Requirements we ask our students for are the same with those for the teachers. Or even more, for it is not possible to underestimate the influence of individual’s example. The questions, which might be asked the teachers, could be:

• How dare you teach your pupils to be responsible when you are unable to take charge of your responsibility?
• How dare you indoctrinate independence while you do not work independently?
• How dare you teach collaboration when you cannot cooperate?

Teacher is crucial in application the Dalton principles for the headmaster and her/his qualities will influence sharply quality of the school. Good cooperation of teachers in staff is essential for any Dalton school. I know from my own experience that this field is a very problematic one. I speak about situation when there is a group of Dalton teachers working with this method for some years and others are joining the group step-by-step. It is the frame that it cannot continue the “uniting” new Dalton colleagues without passing some materials and experience. It testified to me to talk openly the situation, in which we cannot cooperate without passing the materials, and appreciated their work on the materials not only by a hearty approval, but also by a salary-bonus. I’d like to say that the Dalton teachers were during the process motivated by higher individual-bonuses.

The team collaboration is more common on the first grade of education. There could be passed good materials from one class to another. Creative teachers do not only take them over, but they also add a bit of their individuality. Thus it is guaranteed that the teacher likes the work through which s/he can put through one’s personality; combined with other motivation.

There appears slowly another phenomenon: the teacher is more responsible for work but also for the whole educating process at the school. We realized and testified many times that in the Dalton classes the teacher becomes “skilled guide and work-coordinator”. We have discussed this metamorphosis with the colleagues at the school.

The above stated supports teacher’s responsibility, teacher’s creativity and, together, the independence. There appears another atmosphere; teacher organizes work in a different manner than s/he was used to before. It is very demanding. Teacher often prepare Dalton sheets for pupils at weekends. Some of the colleagues speak about feeling of re-discovering the happiness from teaching. This revelation is the prodigious motivation for headmaster and an award for her/his efforts and the efforts of the whole team.

It could be said that after public declaration of using Dalton principles at Chalabalova Basic School and other pilot schools in Brno, the responsibility of the all teachers for the school-image grow higher. The teachers are proud that their school is a kind of special, that it is alternative.

As it results form facts stated above, the difference between the traditional and Dalton teachers is the teacher’s role in the class. Dalton teacher slowly gives up to her/his domination and s/he coordinates the education. This change is a bit of difficult for some teachers. It is because the dominant role used to be traditional. It also supposes the excellent pre-class preparation and awareness about basic Dalton principles. It is a result of eagle’s eye to say that the teacher’s domination is connected to the class’s behavior and atmosphere.

It is possible to give up on the domination only when there are no organizational or behavioral problems. It is essential to forego the misbehavior with the proper organization of work. We all went through the situation when we lost control of a lesson. The domination in the lessons has been the topic of many discussions before leaving on the attachments at Dutch Dalton schools. It motivated our colleagues for their future work through the Dalton the good class organization and really persuasive self-reliant work of pupils, who really worked independently at partner Dalton schools, who left their places and returned on them, who communicated with the teacher according to the rules prepared beforehand.

The Czech teachers really appreciated pupils’ studies out of the classroom. The pupils used working-places (like the library, the PC quipped corners) also in the corridors and they fulfilled their tasks. It is possible to see similar situations also at Brno’s Dalton schools.

Teacher is presented as an advisor at the Dalton schools. Similar roles are given to the teachers at the Montessori schools. It is just an example of the humanistic basics of the Montessori and Dalton methods.

The Dalton-textbook of colleagues Roehner and Wenke emphasizes what the Dalton teacher should do to overcome some of the individual pupil’s problems and to advise them.

The book gives examples of some of the problems:

Let’s name some of them:

-          Small motivation, like “Why do I attend the school?”

-          Inability to adapt on huge school.

-          Inability to get used to the school and its spatial and temporal limitation.

-          The problems with managing the Dalton freedom.

-          Really small result-motivation or a great fear from failure.

-          The environmental influence.

-          Inappropriate physical condition.

Generally, the Dalton teacher is responsible for these duties:

-          Discuss with pupil continuously during the lessons and apart from them (in group or individually)

-          Give advice for study

-          Prepare the work-plan with the pupils

-          Prepare for the exams together with the pupils

-          Be aware of problems in other subjects and be able to react when it’s necessary

-          Take care of unusual absence

-          Allow parents to come to school

-          Propose the future pupil’s education together with the pupils and their parents (after the discussion with the educational advisor)

Chart 5

Traditional in comparison with the Dalton-like.

 The overview of the teaching methods of the Dalton teacher.

Pre-class activities:

Teacher:

•                 Allows the pupils to state their own conclusions.

•                 Gives compulsory educational aims and possibilities.

•                 Stimulates pupil’s willingness; introduces interesting ideas for learning.

•                 Reveals a base of the subject after the discussion with pupils.

•                 Gives deadlines when the task (assignment) has to be finished and how much time is necessary for the work to be done.

•                 Describes working tools and gives step-by-step description of the study methods.

•                 Describes the methods of the work.

•                 Gives requirements the pupil has to know.

•                 Defines the type of examination of the pupil.

•                 Defines the evaluation.

Teaching activities.

 Teacher:

•                 Allows the pupils to analyze the topic actively.

•                 Allows the pupils to find mutual connections.

•                 Creates conditions for pupils’ fluent learning process.

Regulative and evaluative activities:

Teacher

•                 Stimulates the pupil’s self-confidence and offers the possibility of their own conclusions.

•                 Offers to help the pupils individually; supports pupils’ questions.

•                 Stimulates mutual helping among pupils and their collaboration.

•                 Regulates self-evaluation and offers to the pupils the possibility to test themselves.

•                 Provides the pupils peaceful work atmosphere.

•                 Creates the space for the backward linkage.

•                 Creates the possibility for the pupils to have their own speed for work.

It is obvious from practice at Brno’s Dalton schools that some of the activities above are common; some of them teachers slowly imply to their lessons. The change in the work style was an important one. The possibility for cooperation of the pupils and their out of class activity rooted fast in all of the Dalton classes.

Relaxed but more responsible atmosphere at the school has been really important twist for both teachers and pupils. Not always it is possible to connect the proclamations and solutions of the actual problem; some of the established procedures sometimes beat other more elegant possibilities; however, the modern trend fascinates more and more teachers. The catalysts are young enthusiastic teachers who vote for Dalton school because of its good atmosphere and openness.

Elements of Global Education in Educating the Dalton Teacher.

A global teacher is the one who regards on learning as an unfinished, whole life process. S/He supports pupils in asking the right questions besides giving them “right answers”. S/He helps students to understand that some of our answers we give for the present moment, the decisions to which we come, and conclusions, which we make, are basically transitory.

From this point of view, the teacher is an eternal student. That kind of a teacher accepts that s/he has to learn forever and that s/he could learn from her/his pupils and from what is taking place in the classroom. It could be said that s/he is a student that helps pupils with education.

From my attachments in the classrooms and staff rooms of British schools I realized that the multi-cultural society demands enormous tolerance and bird’s eye view. Vice versa, the multi-cultural classroom enriches the teacher’s world, understanding to e.g. another religion, perception of the different values and attitudes. I clearly remember a class that “celebrated” a religious holiday together with several girls from the India. The classroom tasted Indian specialties, which the children’s parents had prepared. The Indian music, candles, and dance would definitely remain in many children’s memories and they would help them to understand the differences between cultures.

…

A global teacher considers problems from the over-world’s view. S/He tries to make children understand the context of every day happenings. It is good to discuss with the pupils the global problems, realize their roots and connectedness. Even today, there are pupils from different countries at our schools. It is ideal opportunity to understand different cultures and other coherences mentioned above.

…

Attitudes towards multicultural classes differ from country to country. For instance, in Finland, there are relatively few immigrants, mainly in the north of the country. They influence the school minimally, and they are understood as the cultural enrichment. Portugal has become a country where many African emigrants headed since 1975. Nevertheless, those people had low socio-economical status and their children thrived in the Portuguese schools when the teacher was able to ease their situation. It is used mainly the possibility of enrichment of other children of the stories and folklore of the African children.

Austria is crossroads for emigrants from the Eastern European countries and the past-time Yugoslavia. There are often adapted school curricula for the emigrant’s children in Vienna and other cities. There is stressed the multi-cultural education in Austria. In Norway, the multi-cultural education in some minorities appear in the small changes in the curriculum for the music and physical education – for example, the ethnic minority “Sami” has introduced the lasso-throwing skill as duty.

… (A short article about UK – I think you know it from your own experience – note LB)

It is very important fact that our pupils do not come to our classes as a blank sheet –“tabula rasa”. It is obvious that they bring with them limited sum of knowledge and experience (in some field broader than the teacher’s) (hidden curriculum). Many of the children travel with their parents and they have experience from far, often exotic countries. Many of the children bring with them the PC-operating skills. They are curious and thirsty for new information. It is essential to count with their experience, use it and broaden it. Do not dash their waiting with routine attitude. The perceptive teacher tries to make frank contacts with the pupils and reflect their feelings. S/He tries to praise as much as possible; s/he tries to look on the world with their eyes.

Atmosphere at a Dalton school.

The motto of the 4^th international conference, which took place in Brno in 2000, was “Dalton for 21^st century”. Is the Dalton the only universal solution? Is it possible to bank on only one alternative system?

I always perceived the Dalton education as the intersection of the modern education and reachable alternatives, as a flexible attitude towards the education process and life. Good school cannot be isolated from real life. At the Dalton workshops there sound concrete advice for colleagues together with valuable generalizations, new procedures, and new attitudes. We try to make Dalton absorb the elements of modern pedagogy; we try to make it alive and viable.

“Quality of the relationships among pupil and teacher is the coal-stone for other things in the class.” (Kovaliková; Olsenová: Integrated Topic-Based Education: Kroměříž: 1995)

The base for the relationships is to create informal environment; modify the classroom in a hearty-way; decorate the corridors. Make the pupils aware that you are looking forward to meet them. It has to be visible on teachers that they are looking forward to school.

The environment-improvements do not end with the own classroom. It proved itself useful to color the corridors. The message in the colored corridors brings words not only to the pupils, but also to all the school visitors. It also allows the free working movement in the school.

Most of the colleagues really love children and their work. However it happens that some of the teachers carry the marks of burnout syndrome.

Is it possible to prevent the burnout? What postpones the teacher’s exhaustion?

It is confirmed through the praxis that introducing of new methods and working forms could postpone or even avert the burnout syndrome. Many of the colleagues from the pilot Dalton schools, who applied the alternative method, have spoken about “recharge of the batteries”, about finding a new reason for the work.

6. Specifics of Managing a Dalton School.

Managing the Dalton school actually does not differ from managing of a normal school. Though it requires very good work organization and preparation for every day, mainly when we are awaiting some visitors. It is important to consult all the major changes (like implying regular Dalton lessons into the timetable) with the team.

Coordination of the lessons in Dalton classes and exchange of the working sheets among teachers usually cause no problems within young colleagues. Slowly it started also with the older colleagues; sometimes, it hits into strong individualism. It could be generalized that the teachers at the second grade want to be independent and they are not often interested in cooperation.

Typical feature in Dalton schools is also delegation of the responsibilities and trust. This trust is meant not only to the colleagues, but also to other staff members. The system of checking is based on the same techniques as in the normal school, but the checks are always dialogical and with the space for possible idea regulations, which will serve to the good.

Delegating all the tasks intensifies flexibility and support motivation. There are teachers who directly demand their own solutions and the school management accepts their way of solving the situation.

It is not possible to change the school without initiative of the colleagues. The initiative appears when the director delegates responsibilities, participation grows higher, communication and its aims are clear, the process of the change goes better all alone. In order to that the management of the school sets another requirement: it wants the teachers to be active and come with new proposals and ideas. Initiative is the base for success in the changes.

It could grow into quite an important problem the often communication with all the teachers. Regardless, the director uses mainly every day mornings for informal discussions with other colleagues. These discussions help him to learn about relatively great amount of information. Formal discussion in the headmaster’s office is usually for solving of some serious misdemeanor and even here it is better to vote for informal way of solution – only if it’s possible. It is the job of the headmaster to solve some less pleasant situation sometimes and learn from it. In such a situation there is useful to apply some of the rules for “negative strokes” – reproves.

The rules for reprove:

        i)            Never to unsuccessful.

       ii)            Never in the presence of somebody else.

     iii)            Immediately.

     iv)            Speak concretely - never generally.

      v)            Explain the results of the misbehavior.

     vi)            Never bring back old mistakes.

   vii)            Go after the ball, not the player (the behavior is wrong, the man is good)

  viii)            Use only direct ways of communication.

     ix)            Agree on avoiding repetition.

      x)            “It’s all over” - never return to it.

It seems that good communication and cooperation is the point for good school organization. Obviously, it is ideal cooperate with matched team. To create such a team is task for the school manager.

Teacher’s Prestige.

…

Prestige of the teacher could be higher by the gradation of the professional expanse. Each headmaster has some very marked personalities who are interested in expanding their knowledge and qualification through the studies. The financial motivation is not so essential for the teacher. It could be said that many of the colleagues vote for school with great atmosphere together with the good financial evaluation.

Recruitment of Dalton Teacher

Regarding to the broadened interest in the Dalton method mainly in the short past, it is possible to choose from quite young teachers. The Dalton school management favors creative and independent teachers who are interested in new teaching methods. Mainly the fresh teachers, who have just left the teacher’s training faculties learned about alternative methods during the study and teaching praxes, seem to be influenced when picking the school. Dalton teachers have good tradition in contacts abroad, so that they prefer teachers with language skills, which are merits in the practical attachments at the partner Dutch or Austrian schools. The good Dalton teacher should know all the professional competences. In the praxes we meet some deficiency with the self-evaluating the activities; the communicative abilities of the young gradates are growing higher.

New Trends in School Management

Nobody refuses that today the manager need to be competent manager and experienced teacher. Managing the school needs both pedagogical expertise and managing skills.

My own practice has revealed to me that pedagogical knowledge should be combined with education in the field of management.

The experts on the school management (Stephen Murgatroyd, Colin Morgan) decline that there is a difference between the school and firm managing. Is it possible to use some of the methods of direction used in the great firms like Toyota, Sony, Ford also in managing of the school? Is there any difference between managing people in the firm or in the big school? Since 1990 a new wave of directing has entered step-by-step the firm and school managements. There appear opinions that the firms are chains of the mutual relationships and that separate sectors serve to other sectors as the suppliers of information and service. According to the TQM (Total Quality Management) all the school workers are the service sectors. (On TQM - Murgatroyd; Morgan: Total Quality Management: Philadelphia (US): 1994) The headmaster serves the teachers; teacher is the service component for pupils and parents. Administrative workers are taken as the service for the management of the schools in a broader sense. Each one in such a chain is either a customer to someone, or a supplier of information and service. The quality and cooperation thus influences the productivity and school results. The important recognition has been the fact that it is important for progressive schools the behavior of all the sectors mentioned above, mainly the group of teachers who are in contact with the exterior customers – with the pupils and parents. In other words: the whole school team supports the teachers to serve with teachers’ profession to the pupils and parents, ergo the society, which regards the service in education of the young generation. The headmaster and the teacher have to be both manager and pedagogue and discharge the obligation according to clearly pre-stated rules. The school management defines those rules.

Traditional Management a TQM

Comparing the traditional and TQM management we result in the fact that the TQM distinctly stresses the role of the teacher and satisfaction of the pupil and parent=customers. The school management is a service to the teacher, in difference with the traditional system, in which the management is more important than the teachers, who serve to it. Pupils and the parents=the customers are not for the teachers and management important.

What does the school need to apply TQM?

It seems that the innovational trends could pass at schools, which have a good state in communication between headmaster and teachers. Good recruitment of the co-workers supports to hold the togetherness of the collective and faithfulness to the idea of the change. Culture of the relationships is the natural catalyst of the changes both in firm and school.

7. Important Dalton schools Worldwide