Basic Education Administrative System And Primary Education Administrative Reform

In the 2lst. century, facing several challenges coming from home and abroad, such asthe heavy population, the economic globalization and the emergence of the economy basedon knowledge, etc., China has to improve the quality of its population and become verycreative in science and teclmology, both of which will depend on education. So, China has topni education at an otmost importam position in the 21st. ceamry. Furthermore, China'sentering of WTO will demand many reforms in its syStems and institations, includingeducational administration system and institution. In the refOrming process, it's necessary toleam from abroad, Which is also the purpose of this dissertation.' Here is the sununary of this dissertation.First of all, a trace to the history of America's local educ8tional administration syStemand institution, including the premature period When local educational administration didn'tseparate with local govenunent's general administfation system, the matWe period Whenlocal educational administration became independent, the complete period when theexecutives became professional.Second, a summary of the characteristics of America's 1ocal educational administrationsystem which are: a) local educational administtation being very automatic, separate withlocal government; b) policy making being separate with execution, being check and balancewith each other; c) there being both laymen and education professionals in local educationaladministfation; d) the deep involvement of local people in local educational administration.Third is an analysis of the reasons of the above characteristics in political, historical and. cultural perspective. Politically, America has a federal system. Historically, the stategovemmellts have a longer history than the federal govemrnellt. Cultllrally, America peoplerespect the automation of local govemments. Being anti --authoritative by nature, they areaccustomed to selfradministration.On the base of the above study, a frame structure is formed for the educationaladministtation system at grass-root level in China: a) making county as the grass-root levelof educational administfation; b) endowing it with much power in finance and personnel,clarifying its re8Ponsibilities; c) reforming the employing system and rising the qualificationstandard of the chief executive in the educational administraion at county level; d) leavingthe county level educational admini8tration institlltion with much power in local educational' administfation; e) paying much attamion to the involvement of local people in educationaladministraion.At last, the dissertation has poithed ollt that the reform of educational adminiStrationsystem at county level in China Wll be checked by the reforms of political, financial andemploying syst6ms at the same level. The traditional and cultUral background and thecharactCristics of Chinese people also will induence it. So, it will be a hard and enduringprocess. Nevertkeless, it must conform to the intemational trend.