The connection between School marketisation and the principal’s self-renewal Prof. Izhar Oplatka

The connection Marketisation The principal’s Self-Renewal Parental Choice

What happened to the principals Change of managerial style and perspectives Innovative orientation Need to survive Perceived inability to be stagnated and burned Viewing the world as a changing place

Central themes Parental choice and educational marketisation in Tel Aviv. The concept of self-renewal. An hypothesised connection between the above themes.

Dynamic process inside the Israeli educational system FROM centralisation ministry of education as the gate keeper collectivism ‘melting pot’ ideology TO decentralisation more emphases to periphery's needs individualism cultural pluralism

Main principles of parental choice in Israel School based autonomy and self-managing Increased freedom of choice for parents Controlled choice of schools Increased flexibility in the secondary system Integration of various groups of students Diversification of curriculum and teaching practice

The choice in action Five to six secondary schools in the city. The local schools. The schools in the north (the high social economic status)k Information centre. Organised transportation

The Sun of Marketing Education is Rising in Israel

Marketing the school - Why? Stable environment Turbulent environment

Research findings No systematic and coherent marketing processes and strategies exist in schools. There are different marketing orientations between schools in the north and schools in the south of Tel Aviv. Emphases on relationship marketing and word-of-mouth in the eyes of the principals

Research findings 2 Marketing the high school to the students in the junior high school (in the same school) only by the low SES schools. The local newspapers celebrate!!! It is not marketing in its classic meaning but a mix of educational values and new rules

Self-renewal appears in fields of Professional obsolescence - updating Psychology - renewal as a new start. Psychiatry - medical process. Leadership - self-renewing personality Career development - a transitional stage

Elements of self-renewal Internal reflection Reframing of the existing perspectives Searching for new opportunities and tasks Enthusiasm and replenishing of internal energy Professional updating

The assumed connection Changes in the schools’ environment towards a competitive one New role demands school identity curriculum self-managing parent oriented marketing intimate mang’ leadership The principal: Do I want all this I must change!!! I better learn I want to innovate I feel renewed, energized, elated Quit