Study Of School Curriculum, Management And Operation Process

The present"Three Level Curriculums Administration"has strong impact upon school administrations which have to give up the tradition of taking orders from the upper hierarchy and orient toward the curriculum administration instead of teaching administration. The change is a challenge to all the unprepared schools. Against the double control of"Up-to-Down"and"Down-to-Up"mechanism, school administrators have to, at the same time, take orders from educational authorities, guidance from the experts and scholars as well as being under the influence of various educational ideas and thoughts. The conflicts among the educational authorities, experts, scholars and educational ideas and thoughts have put school education, the so-called"Ivory Tower"or"Freedom Haven"in dilemma and threats. The familiar customs and experiences are challenged, the traditional values and behaviors are questioned and the old feeling of safety, comfort and stability are in danger of being overthrown. As a result, direction of schooling is lost in the curriculum reform. To find the solution of adjusting to the present curriculum reform, what is needed is to understand the motive of curriculum changes in schools with the purpose of designing a students-oriented curriculum administration. Following related studies, curriculum administration is one of the key factors in curriculum implementation, which leads to success or failure of curriculum reform. Therefore, it is of great significance of carrying out research and studies in the field.Curriculum administration is at least based upon the following aspects. First, in what approach schools use the right conferred by the state educational authorities. Secondly, in what approach curriculum administration corresponds to new curriculum thoughts. Thirdly, how to deal with the relationship between traditional teaching administration and the present curriculum administration. A comprehensive understanding and master of the issues above is the key in the new round of curriculum reform in elementary education. Following the line of reasoning, we think that the research in operation process of school curriculum administration is the most important among the different research projects upon the curriculum administration because school curriculum administration practices, full of factors of uncertainties, is definitely not based upon superorganic reasoning or defined by quantified standardization. Therefore, research in the field shall be upon the foundation formulated by comprehensive understanding and practice in curriculum administration in real world. Based up the real world practice, we will be able to establish the proper guiding principle and methodology as well as the models for school curriculum administration, a niche field in China's educational research at present.The paper first of all analyses the theoretical background of school curriculum administration with the purpose of explaining the author's definition and viewpoint on curriculum administration, school curriculum administration and school curriculum administrative operation as well as the factors and values in the operation, based upon which, the school curriculum administrative mechanism is formulated as the theoretical basis of the paper. Secondly, upon the studying the realities and problems of curriculum administration in schools, S, a primary school, is picked up as sample for case study from the perspectives of its nature, culture and organization as the practical foundation of the paper. Thirdly, research methods such as interviews, information analysis, meetings, questionnaires, diagnosis and class attendances are applied for data collection in order to carry out insightful analysis of sample S. The purpose is to find out the problems and conflicts in the practice of school curriculum administration in sample S with an aim to search for solution strategies, research focus and research approach based upon the illustration and explanation of the significance and relationship of situational factors. The paper points out that school curriculum administration have the unique characteristics apart from sharing the features of general administrative operations. By viewing the entire process of school curriculum operation and horizontally comparing the curriculums in sample S, the paper studies the administration of school curriculum strategy, curriculum planning and curriculum implementation as well as vertically analyzing, explaining and studying the dynamics of school curriculum administration.Following the case study and investigation, we draw the conclusion that the problems in sample S are caused by the contradictions and conflicts from the two existing curriculum administrative mechanism, the school curriculum administration in practice and the school curriculum administration in ideas. First, the curriculum administration is only treated as a term on the level of terminology instead of administrative practice in the real sense in sample S. Secondly, sample S lacks the ability of structuring school curriculum and exercising the administration. Thirdly, teaching administrative model is used for school curriculum administration. Fourthly, school curriculum administration is dependent upon the traditional administrative measures. Fifthly, school curriculum administration is manipulated by the tradition of"Examination Orientation". Finally, the separation of school curriculum reform from school organizational restructuring fails the proper function of school curriculum administration.The ending part of the paper gives suggestions to school curriculum administration that the establishment of school curriculum administrative mechanism is based upon the duality reasoning beyond the curriculum administration and teaching administration. The re-establishment of school curriculum administration is suggested to be along the following approaches. First, the school curriculum administration shall be adjusted from single dimensional to poly-dimensional. Secondly, the school curriculum administrative models shall be adjusted from"two dimensional"to"three dimensional". Thirdly, the orientation of school curriculum administration shall be adjusted from"authorities'administration"to"specialist administration". Fourthly, the school organizational restructuring shall be adjusted form"hierarchical controlling"to"responsibility system". Finally, the school curriculum construction shall be adjusted from systematic standardization to systematic ethics.