How to Dispel the Efficiency Obsession: The Value Logic of Modern School Governance

Abstract

There has long been an inherent interplay between the logic of efficiency and the logic of education in school governance. The logic of efficiency seeks to maximise input-output ratios and standardise management, whereas the logic of education focuses on the all-round development of the individual and the long-term nature of growth. At present, the logic of efficiency has extended excessively, crowding out the logic of education and leading to dilemmas such as a lack of regard for the individual and a deviation from core values. This paper examines this interplay from an interdisciplinary perspective combining Marxist political economy and educational management, set against the contemporary context of high-quality development. It finds that the deep-rooted causes of the proliferation of the efficiency logic lie in the permeation of managerialism, the convergence of bureaucracy and performance-based management, and the transmission of social competitive pressures. The study argues that high-quality development represents the dialectical unity of efficiency and the logic of nurturing. The value reconstruction of school governance must shift from management to governance, and from instrumental rationality to value rationality. Under the overarching guidance of the logic of nurturing, the logic of efficiency must be rationalised to construct a system of basic education school governance that is both efficient and compassionate, and that combines quality with equity. Ultimately, this paper proposes a comprehensive framework for reorienting school governance towards a more balanced and human-centred paradigm that honours the intrinsic purposes of education while maintaining organisational effectiveness.