| This study examines the effects of legal and regulatory frameworks on the work of high school vice-principals. In particular, it explores the ways in which these frameworks help or hinder high school vice-principals as they carry out their responsibilities for school discipline. A review of existing literature found that the role of vice-principals is understudied. This study is intended to enhance our understanding of the vice-principalship and the unique perspectives of vice-principals.; Three legal and regulatory frameworks were selected for consideration in this study: provincial and federal laws, school and school district policies, and teacher-employer collective agreements. Each of these frameworks affects the work of high school vice-principals by defining duties and giving authority to carry them out.; Since each province has exclusive jurisdiction over education legislation, it was important to recognize that differences may exist in the laws and policies affecting vice-principals in each province. For this study, high school vice-principals in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta were chosen to capture elements of the diversity in public education systems in Canada. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 703 vice-principals in the three provinces. Responses were received from 311 vice-principals, representing an overall response rate of 44%. Questionnaire topics included job responsibilities, suspensions, searches, disruptive intruders, student attendance, assignment of teacher supervision duties, non-suspension options, and confidence in knowledge of laws and policies. Most questionnaire items asked respondents to indicate the extent of their agreement or disagreement with given statements and to provide explanations for their responses.; The study findings suggest that there are several ways in which legal and regulatory frameworks help and hinder vice-principals in fulfilling their responsibilities for school discipline. Respondents indicated that the following helped them: support from their principals, suspension authority, search authority, local police support, and confidence in their knowledge of relevant laws and policies. By contrast, they identified the following obstacles to their efforts to achieve satisfactory results in discipline matters: lack of district level support, collective agreement provisions, lack of resources, and lack of disciplinary alternatives to suspensions. |
