Papers by Disraeli Hutton
Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, Jun 1, 2013
The paper examines some of the primary factors impacting the revenues of the University of the We... more The paper examines some of the primary factors impacting the revenues of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona and the University of Technology (UTECH), Jamaica. These include government contribution, student enrolment, loan availability, student support facilities and their programme renewal and income-generating strategies. In a period where government is reducing its allocation to the Universities, enrolment continues to increase; and both universities are focused on providing new and revised programmes while engaged in income-generating activities. Currently, UWI has had more success than UTECH in the income-generating type of activities. The availability of students' loan which is the central source supporting student tuitions is uncertain in the face of a continuing economic decline. Consequently, the universities have had to expand their internal support facilities for students. With the two universities pursuing similar programme options, an atmosphere of competition has been established in the pursuit of alternative funding, higher visibility and greater credibility.
International journal of sociology and anthropology, Oct 31, 2022
This article consists of an examination of programmes at the University of the West Indies (UWI) ... more This article consists of an examination of programmes at the University of the West Indies (UWI) for cultural relevance. In examining the cultural content and relevance of teaching, a deeper look at the teaching and learning process within the contemporary period will be done. The multicultural nature of postmodern society results in the intersecting dialectics of what is taught being equally important to how it is taught and to whom it is being taught. The works of Jean-Francois Lyotard and Anthony Giddens are used to show how knowledge is perceived in this contemporary period of new capitalism. The cultural studies discourses of these and other writers are used to identify the lacunatermed the "missing dialectics"-within the teaching and learning process facing educators at the UWI and elsewhere in the contemporary Caribbean. Culture should be at the center of the pedagogic/andragogic process. Teaching and learning are essential to the transmission of culture, while culture will influence what is taught and how, depending on the cultural, ethnographic and demographic make-up of the target audience. The paper concludes that if Caribbean development is to be enhanced in the twenty first century, then the teaching contents and methods of UWI faculty members and other educators in the region must be culturally relevant.
Higher Education Policy in Developing and Western Nations, 2022
Caribbean Journal of Education, 2012
Research in Comparative and International Education, 2014
The Education for All (EFA) goals, established for countries to improve educational performance, ... more The Education for All (EFA) goals, established for countries to improve educational performance, are most challenging for many developing countries. Notwithstanding the challenges, each country must implement suitable programme intervention in order to accomplish these goals. Goal 6 calls for the overall improvement of the education product, which is a prerequisite for decent human existence. One of the areas for capacity building is related to the leadership required to drive the performance of the education system. A conceptual case developmental model presented in this article is informed by relevant experience and evidence borne out of the local educational leadership context and practice. It focuses on the integration of the vital factors such as stakeholder ownership, candidates for training, selection process, certification and licensure and standards, which are the required ingredients for an effective, internationally-oriented training programme. The programme delivery emphasizes learning through engaging the workplace in a substantial way while pursuing the academic aspects of the training. The article concludes with a reflection on the challenges which are hampering the efforts of developing countries to achieve the EFA goals.
International Journal of Leadership in Education, 2016
Abstract The study explored critical factors that explain leadership performance of high-performi... more Abstract The study explored critical factors that explain leadership performance of high-performing principals and examined the relationship between these factors based on the ratings of school constituents in the public school system. The principal component analysis with the use of Varimax Rotation revealed that four components explain 51.1% of the variance in the correlation matrix. Correlations among the four components range from strong to moderate with the relationship between components 1 and 22 (personal philosophy and abilities and leadership) demonstrating the only strong, positive correlation within the matrix. This study showed that two of the dimensions identified were in keeping with the leadership-related categories of personal philosophy and abilities (combined), and leadership itself obtained from the qualitative study. The strength of the relationship suggests that personal philosophy, personal abilities and leadership are interrelated and must be integrated for greatest performance effect. The findings should have practical benefits for principals, especially in the areas of training, education and development; performance evaluation; and recruitment. Further research on a regional basis would assist in determining if leadership practices are consistent across the territories, bearing in mind the contextual basis which obtains and the differences and similarities in how public schools are led.
Policy Futures in Education, Mar 12, 2015
This paper seeks to explore the implementation of three of the critical elements required to impr... more This paper seeks to explore the implementation of three of the critical elements required to improve performance in the education system: governance, accountability and management. The paper examines the education reform processes conducted by five Caribbean countries: Jamaica,
Jamaica is a small country with a population of 2.7 million people. It is a developing country wi... more Jamaica is a small country with a population of 2.7 million people. It is a developing country with an education system facing many problems regarding student performance and meeting the skills needs of the workforce. The Task Force on Educational Reform (2005) explained that the main purpose for the dividing of schools based on regions was to "monitor school performance and to provide specialist support to schools" (p. 37). A good understanding of the factors underpinning leadership practices and behaviours in the regionally-divided schools is necessary for policy makers
International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 2013
The article presents the evaluation of the training programme for secondary school principals con... more The article presents the evaluation of the training programme for secondary school principals conducted in the period between 2006 and 2009. A mixed method approach was used to conduct the summative evaluation with 28 graduate participants. For the impact evaluation, 15 of the graduates were interviewed three years after the programme was completed. The quantitative data was analyzed using means and standard deviation. The findings revealed that participants gained technical and relational skills but responses were less favourable in relation to cognitive or conceptual skills, while the support from lecturers and workplaces was strong but less favourable from the central ministry. There was a positive impact on participants’ performance during the period of training, especially in the areas of confidence, collegiality and overall leadership. For the impact evaluation, graduates credited the programme for their promotion to become principals, vice principals, senior teachers or give ...
Caribbean Curriculum, 2015
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by its nature offers an ideal platform for... more Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by its nature offers an ideal platform for the integration of STEM. High-quality TVET or advanced technology programmes can provide a strong foundation for, and serve as a delivery system of, STEM competencies and skills for a broader range of students. But it can also be argued that integrative STEM is an ideal vehicle to facilitate TVET because of its focus on innovation and problem solving. Combining both paradigms in education and training seems to offer a breakthrough in how to prepare the workforce to be much more effective and productive in the present knowledge-based economy. So far, however, while there has been an increased focus on the importance of STEM in curricula and for a globally competitive workforce, the idea of teaching integrated STEM has been explored in a limited manner, particularly in the Caribbean. This paper examines the goals of integrated STEM education, and describes a framework for integration that...
Caribbean Curriculum, 2016
This paper seeks to demonstrate the progress that technical and vocational education and training... more This paper seeks to demonstrate the progress that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has made in cementing its place in general education (at the tertiary level) as a legitimate component of the education process for economic development and prosperity. It explores the reasons for the separation of liberal arts education from professional education training in an earlier period, and the continued attempt to maintain the separation between general education and TVET in the 21st century. With the inevitable move towards a knowledge-based economy in developed and developing countries, the role of both general education and technical education is being heralded as vital to the performance of this modern approach to economic development. The paper also examines the factors that are driving these changes and the potential benefits to be derived from the integration of general education and TVET. Finally, the paper concludes that based on the growing symbiotic relations...
The purpose of the current study was to analyse both the general school constituents’ and male an... more The purpose of the current study was to analyse both the general school constituents’ and male and females school constituents’ ratings of the performance of male and female highperforming principals in the Jamaican public schools. With a sample of 2384 respondents representing school constituents from 125 schools, the returns were 1523 (64%). The data were collected using a 69-item Likert scale and analysed using Principals Component Analysis (PCA) and t-test. The results of the analysis revealed four dimensions of leadership performance: philosophy and abilities, leadership and management, student support systems, and community support and relationships. The findings showed that there were significant differences in how the general school constituents rated high-performing principals on three of the four dimensions of performance. There were no differences in male respondents’ ratings of male and female principals; however, there were significant differences in the ratings of fema...
Successful School Leadership
Journal of Education and Development in the Caribbean
Journal of School Leadership
The article presents a conceptual model of effective school leadership which is based on the expe... more The article presents a conceptual model of effective school leadership which is based on the experience and knowledge gained from research work done with high-performing principals in the Jamaican school system. The basic and underlying premise is that to understand how leadership works, it is essential to explore the dimensions, components, and elements which shape and inform the behavior of the leaders. The article also presents the conceptual framework for the model and elaborates on the six dimensions which are the basis for analyzing and synthesizing leadership practice. The model would be useful as a diagnostic tool, and a guide for recruiting and developing training programs for principals.
Power and Education
This study analyses the role that the gender difference of school constituents plays in rating th... more This study analyses the role that the gender difference of school constituents plays in rating the performance of high-performing principals in 125 schools across Jamaica. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) generated four dimensions which conceptualized leadership performance in effective principals, and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the fit between the resulting data and the hypothesis of gender difference in the performance of high-performing principals. The analysis from the independent-samples t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the rating of male and female school constituents on the dimensions of leadership and management, and community support and relationships. For the dimensions of personal philosophy and abilities, and student support systems there was no significant difference between male and female constituents. The similarities and differences in the rating of the dimensions of performance of high-performing princi...
Research in Comparative and International Education
The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference in the ratings among senior a... more The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a difference in the ratings among senior administrators/managers, middle managers and classroom teachers of the four dimensions of leadership performance related to high-performing principals in the Jamaican public school system. The study showed that there were differences in how senior managers, middle managers and classroom teachers rated the dimensions of leadership, and philosophy and abilities; but there were similarities in how middle managers and classroom teachers rated both dimensions. For the dimensions of students support and community support and relationships, there were differences in the ratings between senior managers and middle managers and between middle managers and classroom teachers; but there were similarities between senior managers and classroom teachers. The study confirmed the existence of both bureaucratic and professional structures to leadership, as well as the loosely coupled relationship and a distributed leadership system. The power relationship was also evident. The implication for leadership in schools is that all constituents must work closer with each other to form a collaborative network with high-performing principals in order to enhance the effectiveness of principal leadership performance.
Uploads
Papers by Disraeli Hutton