<Individual Paper>The Possibilities of School Trustee System : A Study of the High School Trustee System

"An Open School System for the Public" is one of the recent educational reforms in Japan. Its basic goal is to open the school to the parents and the community. We also have The School Trustee System as one of our concrete policies. This is designed to encourage the principal to listen to the opinions of third parties. There are three main purposes of this system. Firstly, it enables the teachers to know the intentions of the parents and the community. Secondly, it helps the school to cooperate with the parents and the community and, finally, it puts into focus the accountability of the school. The system has raised questions concerning why school trustee members should play a part in this system; how they should interact with the P. T. A. and other groups; and how the school will function in the future. This essay shows the possibilities of The School Trustee System based on research carried out by the Board of Education and evidence from schools in prefectures that have already implemented the system. From the results we can see how good relationships between schools and the P. T. A. have been created; how teachers consciousness has improved; and how schools have managed to establish their vision for the future and are working towards it in a positive manner