Teacher empowerment: Concepts, strategies, and implications for schools in Hong Kong

The education profession in Hong Kong has been experiencing waves of educational reforms since the early 1990s. A system of school-based management has been imported from Western countries without undergoing thorough discussion about the roles that teachers might play in facilitating it. The purpose of this article is to suggest a strategic mix for school leaders toward effective implementation of teacher empowerment. This mix is divided into three levels: the teacher, administrator, and school levek. At each level the foundations of empowerment have been identified and actions for empowerment discussed. The suggested strategies attempt to balance the human and operational factors in the reform initiative. This article also presents certain contextual considerations when implementing the Western-born concept in the local society where Confucian traditions prevail.