Competitive arenas and schools' logics of action: a European comparison

This article analyses the impact of competitive arenas on schools' logics of action in six local European contexts (London, Paris, Lille, Charleroi, Budapest and Lisbon). It first examines how competitive processes affect different schools' activities (recruitment, provision of options, pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Compare 2009-01, Vol.39 (1), p.85-98
Main Author: van Zanten, Agnès
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administrator Attitudes
Belgium
Comparative analysis
Comparative Education
Competition
Discipline Policy
Educational Improvement
Educational Practices
England
Entrepreneurship
European comparison
Foreign Countries
France
Governance
Hungary
Parent Attitudes
Portugal
School administration
school competition
School Effectiveness
school organisation
school segregation
Special Needs Students
Student Recruitment
Teacher Attitudes
Track System (Education)
urban education
Urban schools
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Summary:This article analyses the impact of competitive arenas on schools' logics of action in six local European contexts (London, Paris, Lille, Charleroi, Budapest and Lisbon). It first examines how competitive processes affect different schools' activities (recruitment, provision of options, promotion, tracking, provision for children with special needs and discipline) and how they are perceived by head teachers, teachers and parents. It then presents four ideal leading orientations (entrepreneurial, monopolistic, tactician and adaptive) developed by schools in response to competition according to their position in the local hierarchy and to their vulnerability to market processes, and it further probes into how these leading orientations are linked to the degree of internal coherence and consensus in schools. The conclusion insists on the importance of taking into account these local processes both to better understand schools as specific organisations and to improve their effectiveness.
ISSN:0305-7925
1469-3623
DOI:10.1080/03057920802447867