Analysis of Functions of the School Council System in Japan

Abstract

This paper analyzes the function of the school council system in Japan and the factors that determine the function of the system. This school council system was introduced on purpose to empower principals to manage their schools and to improve schools' accountability or responsibility for parents and citizens in the local communities. However, preceding studies have never explained the process that the school council system changes principals' action on the school management. In this paper, I try to measure the usefulness of the school councilors to know how the school council system works, and find the factors that influence the function of the school council system. This analysis is mainly carried out with quantitative data, and I try to support the results of this analysis with qualitative data. I would make it clear that the usefulness of the school councilors, depending on the character of matters of council, is affected by the principals' practice of the school council system and school councilors' endowments, abilities and the degree of maturity. Moreover I insist that the school councilors' endowments, abilities and the degree of maturity are developed by the principals' practice of school council system, that is to say, the personnel organization of the school council and the environment in which the more councilors' wish are reflected to the educational activities in schools.