The school improvement policy context in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

There have been numerous appeals to explore more non-westernized and developing country contexts, (Dimmock, 2000; Harris and Chrispeels, 2006; Mc Mahon, 2006 and Harris, 2009). This paper is a response to those appeals. The study maps the school improvement educational policy contexts of Trinidad and Tobago (TandT), which is a developing country in the Caribbean.. This paper attempts to illuminate on research, which reviewed the development of school improvement particularly in the secondary school sector. It identifies distinct phases of school improvement in TandT and proposes that these phases are linked to significant educational policy development eras within the country. A documentary based research approach that involved the analysis of educational documents and a review of the literature on historical and educational policy was employed. This investigation is significant because it documents the school improvement movement in TandT and provides an understanding of how the country experienced educational change.