Střední článek ve vzdělávání: vymezení pojmu, přístupy a implikace pro vzdělávací politiku

The concept of “middle layer” (ML) is one of the most frequent terms in current education policy. Yet, the literature on the topic is fragmented and the concept itself is defined in several different ways which hinders effective discussion. The main goals of the article are as follows: 1) to imbed current discussion in the scholar literature and provide basic overview of scholar literature; 2) clarify the terminology and delimit various meanings of the “middle layer” concept. The article is structured as follows. First, the methodology of literature review is described. Then the basic meaning of ML in various educational systems is explained. In the next part of the paper, the literature review on ML is provided. In so doing, two strands of literature are distinguished. While the research-oriented strand focuses on analysis of what ML does (and does not), the practical stream relates to what ML should (or should not) do. Based on previous analysis, the paper argues that four meanings of middle layer can be delimited. These meanings are shortly labelled as follows: (a) a loose network of local actors; (b) a coordinated and interacting system of actors; (c) an organized set of several core local organizations; (d) a regional public administration institution. These four definitions are defined and explained. The article concludes with several implications for educational policy in the Czech Republic.

1. Anderson, E., & Young, M. (2018a). A research-based framework for district effectiveness. UCEA Review, 59(3), 2-12. CrossRef

2. Anderson, E., & Young, M. (2018b). If they knew then what we know now, why haven't things changed? An examination of district effectiveness research. Frontiers in Education, 3(87). CrossRef

3. Aston, H., Easton, C., Sims, D., Smith, R., Walker, F., Crossley, D., & Crossley-Holland, J. (2013). What works in enabling school improvement? The role of the middle tier. NFER.

4. Barber, M., & Day, S. (2014). The new opportunity to lead: A vision for education in Massachusetts in the next 20 years. Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.

5. Bubb, S., Crossley-Holland, J., Cordiner, J., Cousin, S., & Earley, P. (2019). Understanding the middle tier comparative costs of academy and LA-maintained school systems. Sara Bubb Associates.

6. Burns, T., & Köster, F. (Eds.). (2016). Governing education in a complex world. OECD. CrossRef

7. Burns, T., Köster, F., & Fuster, M. (2016). Education governance in action: Lessons from case studies. OECD. CrossRef

8. Campbell, D., & Fullan, M. (2019). The governance core: School boards, superintendents, and schools working together. Corwin Press.

9. Clune, W. H. (1987). Institutional choice as a theoretical framework for research on educational policy. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 9(2), 117-132. CrossRef

10. Crawford, M., Maxwell, B., Coldron, J., & Simkins, T. (2020). Local authorities as actors in the emerging "school-led" system in England. Educational Review, 1-17. CrossRef

11. Elmore, R. F. (1993). The role of local school districts in instructional improvement. In S. H. Fuhrman (Ed.), Designing coherent education policy: Improving the system (s. 96-124). Jossey-Bass Publishers.

12. Elmore, R. F. (1996). Getting to scale with good educational practice. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 1-27. CrossRef

13. Elmore, R. F. (2016). "Getting to scale…" it seemed like a good idea at the time. Journal of Educational Change, 17(4), 529-537. CrossRef

14. Ford, T. G., Lavigne, A. L., Fiegener, A. M., & Si, S. (2020). Understanding district support for leader development and success in the accountability era: A review of the literature using social-cognitive theories of motivation. Review of Educational Research, 90(2), 264-307. CrossRef

15. Forde, C., & Torrance, D. (2021). Leadership at all levels: System alignment through empowerment in Scottish education? School Leadership and Management, 41(1-2), 22-40. CrossRef

16. Fullan, M. (2015). Leadership from the middle: A system strategy. Education Canada, 55(4), 22-26.

17. Gamson, D. A., & Hodge, E. M. (2016). Education research and the shifting landscape of the American school district, 1816 to 2016. Review of Research in Education, 40(1), 216-249. CrossRef

18. Glatter, R. (2021). The 'independent state school' and its aftermath: Implications for the processes and structures surrounding school leadership. School Leadership and Management, 41(1-2), 93-116. CrossRef

19. González, Á., Ehren, M., & Montecinos, C. (2020). Leading mandated network formation in Chile's new public education system. School Leadership and Management, 40(5), 425-443. CrossRef

20. Greany, T. (2020). Place-based governance and leadership in decentralised school systems: Evidence from England. Journal of Education Policy, 1-22. CrossRef

21. Greany, T., & Higham, R. (2018). Hierarchy, markets and networks: Analysing the 'self-improving school-led system' agenda in England and the implications for schools. UCL Institute of Education.

22. Hargreaves, A., & Ainscow, M. (2015). The top and bottom of leadership and change. Phi Delta Kappan, 97(3), 42-48. CrossRef

23. Hargreaves, A., & Ainscow, M. (2020). Vedení ze středu. SKAV. https://uspechzaka.cz/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/UPKZ_clanek_Vedeni-ze-stredu_kveten2020_A4_5_FINAL.pdf

24. Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2020). Leading from the middle: Its nature, origins and importance. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 5(1), 92-114. CrossRef

25. Hřebecký, M. (2019). Hledání obsahu role zřizovatele aneb Čí je škola a kdo ji řídí? Řízení školy, 16(7-8), 6-10.

26. Hřebecký, M. (2021). Odkud a proč se vzala myšlenka středního článku. Řízení školy, 18(4), 12-14.

27. Chapman, C. (2019). From hierarchies to networks: Possibilities and pitfalls for educational reform of the middle tier. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(5), 554-570. CrossRef

28. Chapman, C., & Hadfield, M. (2010). Supporting the middle tier to engage with school-based networks: Change strategies for influencing and cohering. Journal of Educational Change, 11(3), 221-240. CrossRef

29. Kitzberger, J. (2019). Dlouhá trať opuštěnou krajinou aneb "Potřebujeme střední článek řízení?". Řízení školy, 16(9), 36-37.

30. Leithwood, K. (2010). Characteristics of school districts that are exceptionally effective in closing the achievement gap. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 9(3), 245-291. CrossRef

31. Leithwood, K. (2013). Strong districts & their leadership. Paper commissioned by the Council of Ontario Directors of Education and the Institute of Education Leadership.

32. Leithwood, K., Sun, J., & McCullough, C. (2019). How school districts influence student achievement. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(5), 519-539. CrossRef

33. Levin, B. (2013). Do we need school districts? Phi Delta Kappan, 94(5), 74-75. CrossRef

34. Lubienski, C. (2014). Re-making the middle: Dis-intermediation in international context. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 42(3), 423-440. CrossRef

35. Mareš, J. (2013). Přehledové studie: Jejich typologie, funkce a způsob vytváření. Pedagogická orientace, 23(4), 427-454. CrossRef

36. March, J. G. (1978). American public school administration: A short analysis. The School Review, 86(2), 217-250. CrossRef

37. Mourshed, M., Chijioke, C., & Barber, M. (2010). How the world's most improved school systems keep getting better. McKinsey & Company. CrossRef

38. MŠMT. (2020). Strategie vzdělávací politiky České republiky do roku 2030+. MŠMT. https://www.msmt.cz/vzdelavani/skolstvi-v-cr/strategie-2030

39. MŠMT. (2021). MŠMT zahájilo pilotáž středního článku podpory. MŠMT. https://www.edu.cz/stredni-clanek-podpory/

40. Murphy, J., & Hallinger, P. (1988). Characteristics of instructionally effective school districts. The Journal of Educational Research, 81(3), 175-181. CrossRef

41. Neeleman, A. (2019). The scope of school autonomy in practice: An empirically based classification of school interventions. Journal of Educational Change, 20(1), 31-55. CrossRef

42. Nordholm, D. (2016). State policy directives and middle-tier translation in a Swedish example. Journal of Educational Administration, 54(4), 393-408. CrossRef

43. OECD. (2018). How decentralised are education systems, and what does it mean for schools? Education Indicators in Focus, 64. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/content/paper/e14575d5-en

44. Parkin, T. (2012). Do we need a middle tier in education? Forum, 54(1), 37-40. CrossRef

45. Payne, C. M. (2008). So much reform, so little change: The persistence of failure in urban schools. Harvard Education Press.

46. Rorrer, A. K., Skrla, L., & Scheurich, J. J. (2008). Districts as institutional actors in educational reform. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44(3), 307-357. CrossRef

47. Schiltz, F., & De Witte, K. (2017). Estimating scale economies and the optimal size of school districts: A flexible form approach. British Educational Research Journal, 43(6), 1048-1067. CrossRef

48. Schleicher, A. (2015). Schools for 21st-century learners: Strong leaders, confident teachers, innovative approaches. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/publications/schools-for-21st-century-learners-9789264231191-en.htm CrossRef

49. Simkins, T., Coldron, J., Crawford, M., & Jones, S. (2015). Emerging local schooling landscapes: The role of the local authority. School Leadership and Management, 35(1), 1-16. CrossRef

50. Slejška, Z. (2020). Eduzměna: Jak jsme vybírali co nejvhodnější region. Řízení školy, 17(4), 38-39.

51. Snyder, S. (2013). The simple, the complicated, and the complex: Educational reform through the lens of complexity theory. OECD.

52. Spillane, J. P. (1996). School districts matter: Local educational authorities and state instructional policy. Educational Policy, 10(1), 63-87. CrossRef

53. Sykes, G., O'Day, J., & Ford, T. G. (2009). The district role in instructional improvement. In G. Sykes, B. Schneider, & D. N. Plank (Eds.), Handbook of education policy research (s. 767-784). Routledge.

54. Trojan, V. (2020). Ředitel a zřizovatel aneb Láska za časů cholery. Řízení školy, 17(5), 47-48.

55. Veselý, A. (2019). Od samozřejmosti ke spoluodpovědnosti. Proměny ve vnímání veřejných služeb. In P. Hlaváček (Ed.), Nesamozřejmý národ? Reflexe českého třicetiletí 1989-2019 (s. 301-311). Academia.

56. Veselý, A., Fischer, J., Jabůrková, M., Pospíšil, M., Prokop, D., Sáblík, R., Stuchlíková, I., & Štech, S. (2019). Hlavní směry vzdělávací politiky ČR do roku 2030+. MŠMT. http://www.msmt.cz/file/51582_1_1/

57. Whelan, F. (2009). Lessons learned: How good policies produce better schools. Fenton Whelan.

58. Wilkoszewski, H., & Sundby, E. (2014). Steering from the centre: New modes of governance in multi-level education systems. OECD.