PERSPECTIVES ON SCHOOLS: METAPHORS AND MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION

Abstract

Metaphors are revelatory of the perceptions, values and behaviors of school administrators. Through transfer of meaning, metaphors attempt to broaden perspectives, enhance understanding and provide insight into the organization, operation and administration of school. What effect do metaphors, whether verbalized openly, expressed symbolically, or camouflaged in organizational structures and behaviors, have on schools and their operations? What influences, if any, are there if school administrators liken the activities and administration of their schools to an assembly line operation? A ticking clock? A garden? A mirror of society? A museum? Or, candy machine? The purpose of the paper is to address these two questions by: presenting a variety of images, similes, metaphors, and analogies used to describe the purposes of and the organization, operation and administration of public schools; examining what six particular metaphors contribute to an understanding of various characteristics and dimensions of schools; and finally, analyzing what these metaphors mean in terms of how educational administrators conceptualize schooling, interpret their administrative role, and put their knowledge, skills, attitudes and values into practice. The paper includes a discussion of the potential of metaphor in terms of its implications for the practice of administration in schools, for the training of educational leaders, for the construction of theory, and for the development of a philosophy of educational administration.