EVALUATING LOCAL MANAGEMENT OF SCHOOLS: METHODOLOGY AND PRACTICE

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Abstract
Under the Education Reform Act 1988, Local Education Authorities are required to delegate financial management to schools and are expected to evaluate their schemes. This paper reviews the continuing debate between positivist and naturalist evaluation methodologies. A taxonomy of evaluation methodologies is proposed and two LEAs' evaluations of school financial delegation schemes which predated the 1988 Act are assessed. These evaluations were weak in relation to both the positivist and naturalist techniques employed. The use of positivist and naturalist approaches in formative and summative evaluations of the ‘merit’ and ‘worth’ of LMS schemes is discussed.