School and community

Between 1973 and 1975 the Australian Council for Educational Research carried out a two-year study of five Victorian secondary schools, their structures, and relationships with the local community. The research found that in the five communities studied in the  State of Victoria there is only minimal influence exerted upon the school- its principal and staff- from outside regarding the school's organisation and programme. Those outside the school have strong role expectations of the principal, accept his role of gatekeeper and his expertise regarding the curriculum, but are prepared to challenge his authority over the school's moral curriculum, especially in the country schools.