Abstract
Dissatisfaction from the current schooling alternatives has been the basic driver behind the search for an alternative schooling system among parents in Turkey. Being concerned about the quality of available public and private schooling alternatives, a group of parents has initiated an alternative schooling system which is based on different structure, values and goals. The aim of this chapter is to reveal the general features of the so called Another School is Possible (ASIP) movement and the roles and responsibilities of the school principal in creating a sustainable and alternative school system. We used document analysis, observation and interview as sources of data for revealing administrative and academic features of this alternative school system as well as investigating leadership traits and behaviors for accomplishing a sustainable school system. The data suggest that ASIP model is based on four main values including alternative education, democratic management, ecological stance and authentic finance, which guide all administrative, instructional and financial actions at schools. The leadership function is distributed across different constituencies, including the principals, teachers, parents and the students. However, the principal is orchestrating body for realizing a sustained, bottom-up, and successful school model.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Bahtiyar-Karadeniz, C. (2012). Opinions of teachers towards 4 + 4 + 4 compulsory education system. Education Science Society Journal, 10(40), 34–53.
BBOM. (2015). Principles of ASIP schools. Retrieved from http://www.baskabirokulmumkun.net/principles/?lang=en
Beycioglu, K., Sincar, M., Ozer, N., Uğurlu, C. T., & Yıldırım, M. C. (2014). Mapping the terrain of superintendency in Turkey: Structural, institutional and normative features. In A. Nir (Ed.), The educational superintendent: Between trust and regulation: An international perspective (pp. 131–144). New York: Nova Science.
Bottery, M. (2009). An issue without a history: A consideration of the impact of sustainable development upon school administration. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 41(4), 343–362.
Capozzi, R. (2005). Sowing the seeds: Moving curriculum and school culture towards education for sustainable development. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 7(2), 130–137.
Clarke, S., & Stevens, E. (2009). Sustainable leadership in small rural schools: Selected Australian vignettes. Journal of Educational Change, 10, 277–293.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in Education. London: Routledge.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Davies, B. (2007). Sustainable leadership. In B. Davies (Ed.), Developing sustainable leadership (pp. 11–25). London: Paul Chapman.
Engin-Demir, C. (2009). Factors influencing the academic achievement of the Turkish urban poor. International Journal of Educational Development, 29(1), 17–29.
Fullan, M. (2006). Leadership and sustainability. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Fullan, M., & Sharratt, L. (2007). Sustaining leadership in complex times: An individual and system solution. In B. Davies (Ed.), Developing sustainable leadership (pp. 116–136). London: Paul Chapman.
Güven, İ. (2007). Recent initiatives in school effectiveness and improvement: The case of Turkey. In T. Townsend (Ed.), International handbook of school effectiveness and improvement (Vol. 17, pp. 363–378). Dordrecht: Springer.
Güven, İ. (2012). The 4 + 4 + 4 school reform bill and the Fatih Project: Is it a reform? Elementary Education Online, 11(3), 556–577.
Hanley, P. (2005). “Holistic yet tangible”: Embracing the challenge of complexity for education for sustainable development. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 7(2), 85–93.
Hargreaves, A. (2005). Sustainable leadership. In B. Davies (Ed.), The essentials of school leadership (pp. 173–189). London: Paul Chapman & Corwin.
Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2006). Sustainable leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2007). Energizing leadership for sustainability. In B. Davies (Ed.), Developing sustainable leadership (pp. 46–64). London: Paul Chapman.
Harris, A., & Lambert, L. (2003). Building leadership capacity for school. Berkshire: Open University Press.
Hawkins, R. L. (2005). From self-sufficiency to personal and family sustainability: A new paradigm for social policy. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 32(4), 77–92.
Hopkins, C., & McKeown, R. (2001). Education for sustainable development: Past experience, present action and future prospects. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 33(2), 231–244.
İnal, K. (2012). The AKP’s logic of reform and its critical politico-ideological analysis in terms of new noncontinuous education law. Education Science Society Journal, 10(39), 78–92.
Jenkins, K. A., & Jenkins, B. A. (2005). Education for sustainable development and the question of balance: Lessons from the Pacific. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 7(2), 114–129.
Kondakci, Y., & Sivri, H. (2014). Salient characteristics of high-performing Turkish elementary schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 52(2), 254–272.
Lambert, L. G. (2007). Lasting leadership: Toward sustainable school improvement. Journal of Educational Change, 8, 311–322.
Learning to Change. (2004, May 4–7). Learning to change our world. International consultation on education for sustainable development, Gothenburg. Retrieved from www.learning2004.se
MONE. (2009). Öğretim programlarının yenilenme gerekçeleri ve davranışçı yaklaşım ile yapılandırmacı yaklaşım arasındaki farklar. [PowerPoint slides]. Retriewed from http://www.ogm.meb.gov.tr/belgeler/program_yaklasim.ppt
OECD PISA. (2015). Key findings. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/
OECD. (2016). Public spending on education (indicator). doi: 10.1787/f99b45d0-en.
Silverman, D. (2006). Interpreting qualitative data. London: Sage.
TIMSS & PIRLS. (2015). [International Database]. Retrieved from http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/
TUIK. (2015a). Population statistics. Retrieved from http://tuik.gov.tr/PreTablo.do?alt_id=1059
TUIK. (2015b). Education statistics. Retrieved from http://tuik.gov.tr/PreTablo.do?alt_id=1018
UNESCO. (1997). Educating for a sustainable future: A transdisciplinary vision for concerted action. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001106/110686eo.pdf
United Nations. (1987). Report of the world commission on environment and development. General Assembly Resolution 42/187. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/42/ares42-187.htm
Zachariou, A., Kadji-Beltran, C., & Manoli, C. C. (2013). School principals’ professional development in the framework of sustainable schools in Cyprus: A matter of refocusing. Professional Development in Education, 39(5), 712–731.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Beycioglu, K., Kondakçı, Y. (2017). Understanding Leadership Practices in a Sustainable School Model: A Case from Turkey. In: Papa, R., Saiti, A. (eds) Building for a Sustainable Future in Our Schools. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12403-2_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12403-2_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12402-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12403-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)