Karingal Primary School Business Strategies - Case Study Example

Karingal Primary School Student’s Name Professor Subject University/Institution 24th March, 2012. Abstract The following report presents an Organizational performance evaluation of Karingal heights primary school. To carry out an effective evaluation of the school, the system thinking theory is used that view the school comprising of several interconnected department that co-operate to deliver better performing school and improved outcomes. 1) Introduction Karingal heights Primary school (Karingal heights ps) is situated in the Melbourne, Victoria in a suburb named Frankston. Karingal Heights Primary School educates both boys and girls in the same environment. About 210 students attend the school with the gender balance being almost equal (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). 2) Methodology Used For the Assessment The assessment of Karingal Primary School performance is going to adopt the systems view theory to analyze the school. The school will be evaluated in the following areas of performance how it has used innovation, its effectiveness in service delivery, Satisfaction of customers, whether the inputs, outputs and outcomes of Karingal Heights primary are financially viable, how effective are the outcomes? What is the output of the school compared to what has been input? What is the quality of leadership, curriculum, outputs, inputs and what is the attitude of the Karingal heights School Staff towards their school? How well does the school utilize its resources? Are the stakeholders satisfied with the school’s performance? To properly address these questions about Karingal Primary School, the assessment will set the school three strategic commitments (Anson County Schools Association): a. Strategic Commitment #1: All the Students of Karingal heights primary school should attain or surpass the standards that the state of Victoria and the community have set for them. b. Strategic Commitment #2: Karingal heights primary school should be planned in a self-efficient and effective way to ensure students attain or surpass the standards that the state of Victoria and the community have set for them. c. Strategic Commitment #3: Anson County Schools will engage, promote, and partner with parents and community to ensure attain or surpass the standards that the state of Victoria and the community have set for them 3) Evaluation of Karingal Primary School’s Performance Strategic Commitment #1: All the Students of Karingal heights primary school should attain or surpass the standards that the state of Victoria and the community have set for them (Levinson 2002, pp.) . Is Karingal heights curriculum aligned with standards and effectively delivered? The teachers at Karingal Heights teach the students a curriculum set by the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and also inline the Department of Education and early childhood development (DEECD) guidelines (DEECD 2008). Karingal Heights primary School teaches a diverse curriculum that concentrates on the needs of each child individually. Karingal heights primary provides its students with what it calls “an exciting and challenging curriculum, the nucleus of this program are English and Mathematics. English as taught at Karingal is aimed at inspiring students to develop good communication skills they can apply in learning and in life. The Mathematics syllabus on the other had aims at developing know how, ability, tactics and confidence in the application of everyday life (VCAA). In delivering the curriculum Karingal shows Innovation in the use of a range of delivery technologies. This include interactive whiteboards, data projectors at the computer centre, regular access to computers; with a computer in each class, students can also research electronically at digital centre in the library, e-learning is integrated into the curriculum through the through the Learning Technologies(LT) program (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). Assessing the Learning of Students Karingal heights primary school uses the National assessment Program- literacy and numeracy testing (NAPLAN) to test how well their students are learning. NAPLAN is nationwide and compares the outcomes of learning at Karingal with those of other schools in Australia. Karingal also performs its own internal assessment using the “School assessed coursework” (SACs) (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). Predicting and Planning Student Achievement The Karingal School is proud of the performance of its students. Karingal makes sure in one school year each student has made progress equal to the input he/she has received during the year (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). Staff Career Development Karingal does not seem to have in place a system that can help their teachers advance their career in the teaching profession (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). Strategic Commitment #2: Karingal heights primary school is planned in a self-efficient and effective way to ensure students attain or surpass the standards that the state of Victoria and the community have set for them Accountability of Individuals and the Organization (Spector 1997)  The workers of Karingal heights primary school have a duty to ensure that that the school environment is safe, organized and children feel their concerns are addressed. The staffs are all committed to the responsibility of promoting a good learning environment (ACARA 2010). They work together as a team taking into mind that each has a different strength; thus they are able to complement each other. Planning for Continuous Improvement Karingal Primary School does not carry out performance reviews during the year, but carry out one annually (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). In Karingal there is no system in place to manage processes within its operational department. Supervision of Instruction Delivery The school committee and the principal supervises the implementation of the curriculum, the principal also monitors the how each student is progressing in their learning, how any school project is proceeding and the performance of the whole school (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). Strategic Commitment #3: Karingal Heights PS will engage, promote, and partner with parents and community to ensure students attain or surpass the standards that the state of Victoria and the community have set for them Communication Effectiveness (Miller & Swope 2001) Karingal Primary school usually communicates with the parents of the pupils through newsletters handed out after every two week (Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). How the Public Participate The parents through the School committee are involved in setting academic goals for Karingal’s pupils; they also help in determining which direction the school’s development will follow. Satisfaction of Customers According to the Parent Opinion survey Karingal primary school records a satisfaction score of 6 on a scale of 1to 7(Karingal Heights Primary School 2010). Partnerships with Community Karingal holds consultation with parents while developing its curriculum, furthermore when planning learning paths for its students it partners with local colleges. 4) Financial Performance and Position Summary Financial Performance – Operating Statement Summary for the year ending 31st December, 2010 Departmental Grants $276,866 Commonwealth Government Grants $12,500 State Government Grants $0 Other $27,425 Locally Raised Funds $64,476 Total Operating Revenue $381,267 Expenditure Salaries and Allowances $84,736 Bank Charges $15 Consumables $39,040 Books and Publications $8,708 Communication Costs $6,619 Furniture and Equipment $68,267 Utilities $14,884 Property Services $88,113 Property Services $88,113 Travel and Subsistence $0 M Vhil E $0 Total Operating Expenditure $393,429 Net Operating Surplus/-Deficit -$12,162 Source; Financial Commitments Financial Commitments School Operating Reserve $10,000 Assets or Equipment Replacement ‹12 months $ Maintenance – Building/Grounds including $45,140 Revenue Receipted in Advance $6,500 School based programs $42,782 Provision Accounts $49,231 Total Financial Commitments $153,653 Source; Financial Position as at 31st December, 2010 Funds Available 2010 Actual High Yield Investment Account $150,051 Official Account $3,602 Total Funds Available $153,653 Source; Karingal Heights ps Recorded a surplus of in $12,162 showing it has been able to manage its revenue to cater for all costs its incurs in a year. 5) Conclusion Karingal heights primary school can be said to be performing above average as an organization. The management has a good budgeting system in place with the accounts recording a surplus of $12,162. Secondly the staffs of Karingal heights ps are motivated and show a lot of care for the students in their school. Finally all the outcomes that are related to the schools performance are shown to be above or within the average range in similar schools all over Australia. Part for Week 11 and 12 1. Introduction The report on the progress made in the assessment of Karingal heights Primary school (Karingal heights ps) starts by looking at the sources used in collecting information about Karingal Heights Primary school. Secondly it explorers issue that affect performance at Karingal Heights ps. Thirdly the Report discusses the system’s view as adopted in assessing Karingal Heights ps. In the fourth section the report analyzes the performance of Karingal Heights PS and links to the information available on Karingal Heights Primary school. Finally the method used to present the information gathered outlined in the final part (AfREA 2004, pp. 10). 2. Sources of Information used in the Organizational Assessment of Karingal Heights ps The assessment will use a wide variety of sources to obtain information on Karingal Heights Primary School performance. Data about Curriculum is obtained from Victoria Essentials Learning Standards online site. The data on the schools performance on general literacy and numeracy is obtained from the National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numbers (NAPLAN). The attitudes of various stakeholders and most of the information needed for assessment is obtained from results of Parent opinion surveys, staff opinion survey and student opinion surveys of the information used is available on the school and My school website. 3. Issues discovered at Karingal Primary school During the Self assessment it was noted that the student population of Karingal Primary School is very low at approximately 210 students. Karingal is located in a low income neighborhood and has a sizable portion of students from minority backgrounds. Perspective used in assessing the performance of Karingal Heights Primary school The systems view is adopted for analyzing the performance of Karingal Primary school; it views the school as comprising of several sub-systems that co-operate to achieve the desired results for the school. 4. Performance of Karingal heights ps The management of the school is in control of the schools finances being able to budget for the schools needs and still remain with a surplus of -$12,162. Satisfaction levels for the various stakeholders are in the higher side of the scale used to measure the students, parents and staff satisfaction with the school. The Students recorded a satisfaction score was above the average levels of satisfaction for students in other Victoria schools, the parent’s satisfaction was also in line with the average levels in Victoria, while the staff records a satisfaction level slightly higher than other parents whose children attend other Victoria schools. School attendance is high throughout the year: the four year average for school attendance at Karingal Heights ps is over 90 per cent showing that most of the students at the school are healthy thus they do not miss class. 5. Writing up the Findings The findings found in the assessment of Karingal heights ps will be presented in a report. The report will in by introduction to Karingal heights ps then proceed to outline the process used to assess the school’s performance, finally a the report presents a summary of the school assessment. References AfREA 2004, Assessing Organizational Performance Introduction, viewed on 24th march 2012, http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/oa_slides.pdf Anson County Schools Association, Anson County Schools - Organizational Assessment Dashboard, viewed on 24th march 2012, Karingal Heights Primary School 2010, Annual Report to the School Community- Karingal Heights Primary School viewed on 24 March 2012, Levinson, H 2002, Organizational Assessment: A Step-By-Step Guide to Effective Consulting, American Psychological Association, New York. Miller, B & Swope, S 2001, Assessing Organizational Performance in Higher Education, viewed on 24th march 2012, Spector, P.E 1997, Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes, and Consequences (Advanced Topics in Organizational Behavior), Sage Publications Inc. New York. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Education (DEECD) 2008, Accountability and Improvement, viewed on 24th march 2012, Victoria Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), The Victorian Essential Learning Standards viewed on 24th march 2012, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2010, School Profile|ACARA, viewed on 24 March 2012, Read More