An Effective School in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example

The findings of this study are established through the use of survey questionnaires. In this case, written questionnaires are administered to ten staff members of the school. Four of these staff members are senior managers of the school. Based on the data collected from the questionnaires, this study evaluates the effectiveness of the school using school leadership and management parameters such as; clarity of school mission and priorities, relations within the school, the conduciveness of the school environment, capabilities in change management and the capabilities of the school leadership in managing people, processes and data.

A combination of different parameters is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the school mainly because the concept of school effectiveness is multidimensional thus in this case the effectiveness of Princeton Academy school is measured and evaluated by taking into account various aspects of the school’s leadership and management. Introduction The key aim of this study is to examine whether Princeton Academy, a private primary school in Saudi Arabia is an effective school. The rationale of this study is to provide empirical evidence that educators, policymakers, practitioners, parents, the government, and other stakeholders can use to effect changes within the leadership and management of schools in order to improve the effectiveness of schools.

By examining whether Princeton Academy is an effective school, the study illuminates key areas in the leadership and management of schools that leaders should take into account in order to improve the effectiveness and performance of educational institutions. Moreover, this study depicts the domains that determine school effectiveness. Over time, policymakers, practitioners, and academics have shown increasing interest in school effectiveness. Due to the ongoing globalization trends, the market at both the local and global levels has become increasingly dynamic, complex, integrated, and easily susceptible to changes.

As a result, there has been an increasing urge and impetus to improve school performance in order to equip learners with the right values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills that will enable them to become useful members of society who can seize opportunities in their environments and become self-sustainable (Delors 1996). Nevertheless, according to Bollen et al (2012), the concept of school effectiveness is vague and multidimensional since there is no standard definition of what school effectiveness is and what it entails.

However, a considerable body of literature has explored the notion of school effectiveness where it has been established that a school is an organization based in a complex context, bounded by limited resources and involving multiple constituencies and elements (Cheng 1996). Therefore, school effectiveness can be measured and evaluated by taking into account various aspects or criteria (Cordell & Waters 1993; Kirk & Jones, 2004).