Training Educational Administrators in China: The Relevance of Some Western Concepts

Proposes that the improvement of educational management practices at the operational level requires the adoption of an approach based on needs analysis, evaluation, and training. Assumes that educational managers are accountable to the public for their actions and performance and that they seek improvements in the quality of the educational services they provide and stresses the importance of understanding and attempting to measure the results of such services. This in turn requires an analysis of educational programme dynamics and the limitations upon managers in working to achieve increases in service quality. In constructing a training scheme aimed at management improvement, this aspect is referred to as a “needs analysis based on programme dynamics”. Identifies factors involved in the design of a training scheme for educational administrators, namely: needs analysis based on programme dynamics: key competences for administrators: training design: a HRD agenda: and an implementation plan. Discusses only the first of these, given the current constraints of time and space, with the other factors being the subject of a subsequent article.