School-Based Management, Parental Involvement, and Participation - Essay Example

Number Subject Name Lecturer’s Name Education Due date Date Submitted School Based Management Introduction The basis of the school-based management program is the Schools Authority ACT of 1976. The Act encouraged the transformation from a centralized form of administration in the educational sectors to a school based management program. The program is a kind of devolution regarding resource and administrative duties in schools. The paper will discuss the various benefits that have come with the system. It will further create a version of a successful school-based management system. The factors that are the building block of such a successful system will also be discussed. The School-based management places more responsibility on the school teachers, shareholders and the surrounding community in the management of the school. Aims and Intentions The intention of the development of this system was primarily to grant school advanced autonomy. With more autonomy, particular schools have more say in the curriculum and day to day activities. The school-based management system also promotes the involvement of school shareholders in decision making. It cut down the baggage that come with centralized bureaucratic control and promotes the proper allocation and utilization of resources in the educational institutions. The school-based management system has revolutionized the educational sector in many if not all aspects. The increased levels of autonomy and flexible the system has introduced have created a further need. There is a corresponding rise in the levels of accountability required from the educational institutions. The premise of increased autonomy is the creation of school boards that incorporate parents, staff and the community in the running of the school operations. A successful school based management is one that allows the schools enjoy all the benefits that come with autonomy and also create checks and balances in the form of accountability mechanisms. The paper will describe the various factors that lead to a successful school-based management. A school-based management system has effects on the parents, students, administrators, teachers, and schools. The primary goal of education that is student performance should always be a priority in the school-based management program (Dimmock, 2013). Goals and Vision Setting A school-based management system should have a clear and active vision that is in line with the aspirations and goals of the school. The vision is paramount as it dictates the direction that a school is to take. It places a threshold of performance that all the shareholders of the school work to achieve. The advantage of a vision created as a result of school-based management as compared to one produced by centralized management is identity (Cheng, 2013). The shareholders of a school are likely to identify with a locally made vision as opposed to one that is not. The locally made vision is in line with local and regional standards, and the schools can refer to the vision when making School decisions. It is also a source of easy and quick reference to the goals and objectives of the schools. Such a vision takes into account the historical perspective of the school and the potential that the school has. The vision is paramount in setting performance goals. The teachers can develop a curriculum and instruction guidance that would assist the school brings about the desired student performance. The school can make constant improvements in previous levels of performance by deducing lessons and recommendations from past performances. The vision as it is locally made is also likely to be accepted by the students. The vision should be done focusing on student outcome improvement. It is also crucial to involve the students and teachers in the creation of the vision and mission of the school-based management system. The reason behind that is that they are the two entities on the ground that would be tasked with the fulfillment of the vision. The students and teachers may also suggest changes to this visions and mission with the emergence of new issues. The inclusion in the creation of the vision and mission is likely to motivate the teachers and students in the schools. High motivation and morale are needed in achieving high levels of academic performance. The development of a vision and a mission to the school-based management system that is focused on the high academic performance of students is necessary. It has been observed to have a challenging effect on the teachers, students, and the whole school community to achieve the stated vision and mission. It is bound to cause the improvement of the school, especially in student learning outcomes. The vision should be dynamic, active and relevant. It is a benchmark that requires the concentration of all the activities of the schools towards same goals and same outcomes. The vision can be regularly amended and revised after a study of the academic performance and attitudes of the relevant shareholders. Decision Making Secondly, a successful school-based management system is required to have a valid decision-making body. The body is required to make decisions on different aspects of the day to day operations of a school including personnel, budgeting, staffing and the curriculum. The decision-making body hold the hand of the school and leads it to the achievement of the set goals and vision. The decision-making body should incorporate all the relevant stakeholders of the school. The purpose of the school-based management system if to promote the feeling of inclusiveness among the stakeholders. Parents, teachers, students and the community should be adequately represented in the decision-making authority (Fasih & Patrinos, 2009). The authority may be in the form of school boards or school-based management councils. The activities of the decision-making body are required to be focused on the student learning outcomes of the school. The authority should avoid the distraction that may be caused by non-relevant factors. Examples of such distracting issues include housekeeping issues, allowances, voting rights and working conditions. A successful school-based management system has utilized the decision-making bodies to bring about meaningful and positive changes in the performance of students. The authority should be at the forefront of setting goals and the vision of the school. The goals must be geared towards the continuous improvement of the school. The areas that may need improvement in the school include the curriculum, allocation and utilization of resources and addressing the needs of the students. The decision-making body has a high level of autonomy. It should be independent and free from all external forces of influence. School management schools have learned the art of proper resource management. The funds available to the school should be directed towards initiatives and programs that support the improvement of student performance. Such schools have also applied their autonomous decision-making powers in bringing about positive changes in the curriculum (Leithwood et al., 2012). It is crucial for the schools to ensure that content is delivered to the students in a friendly and accessible manner. As a result of technological advancements, the schools should integrate information communication and technology mechanisms in content delivery. The decision-making authority in School-based school is important in acquiring personnel for the school. A successful school based system makes use of the decision-making authority to recruit staffs that are competent and qualified. Such personnel should be compatible with the goals and vision of the institution (Lynch, 2012). There should further be the continuous staff training and talent management. It ensures that the school one step ahead of its competitors in terms of its human resource. That will reflect positively on the achievement of the goals and vision of the school. It will, besides, ensure that there is the continuous improvement of the school, especially in the student learning outcomes. Professional Development Thirdly, a successful school-based management system is required to provide the enhancement of knowledge and skills in the institution. The enhancement should be an ongoing and continuous process. The professional development is not restricted to any one group of persons. It covers teachers, the management, parents and members of the community. All this should be focused on the realization of the goals and vision of the school. An example of means of professional development includes information on interpersonal skills, managerial skills, and communication skills and shared decision making (Blandford, 2012). Teachers need the development to ensure there is the achievement of the institution goals in terms of student’s performance. The professional development will improve their understanding of the students, promote their information delivery techniques and develop the student teacher relationship. These factors are critical in achieving high student’s performance. Parents and members of the community also need professional development. The reasoning behind this is that they are in constant communication with the students. The relationship between the students and the community plays a significant role in determining student performance. The parents and the community are encouraged through the professional development to be better members of the larger school community and closer participants of school activities. Their input is useful in the decision-making bodies of the school in a school-based management system. In successful school-based management schools, most of the members of the school community are involved in the professional development measures. The professional development should be custom made and focused towards addressing the specific needs of the school and its members (Frehner, 2008). The sessions should be continuous rather than one-off sessions. The goals of the professional development are to ensure the continuous professional development and not just a one-day course. It is paramount that most members of the school community are involved in the professional development. If necessary, participation should be compulsory as opposed to voluntary or optional. The benefits that come with professional development to the school-based management system cannot be understated or overlooked. Professional development for all members of the school community ensures that everyone is on the same footing. All sectors of the school can function towards the achieving of common goals rather than the achieving of personal or different goals. It enables the school change efficiently to changes in the industry and the world. Under this program, the school can adequately reflect on its previous activities, and performances identify weaknesses and seek improvements (Derek & Sue, 2005). Professional development allows the school community to create a community that is always learning and is very dynamic and sensitive. There is also a shared knowledge base in the school community with a school-based management system that incorporates professional development. It ensures that the school stays true to its set goals and vision and that the goals are achieved. The learning culture will with time trickle down to the students who will improve in their academic and non-academic performances. After all, the high-level performance of students is the top priority of any educational institutional. This school-based management system ensures that that is achieved. Cultivating Resources Fourthly, a successful school-based management system is one that is good at cultivating resources. Financial and educational resources play a critical role in the day to day activities of any educational institution. The lack of or the availability of these resources, can make the difference between the success and failure of a school. A school-based management system gives the school latitude in the cultivation and utilization of these resources. The school is encouraged to enlarge its funding base and use these resources in a prudent and sensible manner. A school-based management school can reach out to internal and external contacts and acquire additional funding. It is common knowledge that the funds the school gets from student fees and the government institutions may not be enough to cover the needs of the school. The community, parents, and teachers, should come together to compliment the available sources of finances. Cooperation and corroborations with the local business community is an excellent place for the school to start (Thenuwara, 2006). The school may get advertisements deals from local newspapers, supply of commodities from business and other well-negotiated deals with external contacts. The agreements would improve the status of the school as against its competition. As a result, it is likely to attract the top talent in terms of personnel and the top talent in terms of students. The school management system promotes the maximum utilization of available resources. Acquiring these resources is one thing; use of the resources is another thing. The decision-making body of the school should align the use to the goals and vision of the school. That would enable the continuous improvement of the school in terms of student learning outcomes. Professional networks are additional sources of educational resources. Teacher’s networks and reform networks provide support to the teachers and the management of the school. They can acquire skills and information at low or no costs increasing the value of the educational institution. The school should, however, conduct adequate research before joining any of these networks. The school should only entertain professional networks that promote the goals and vision of the institution. The external resources should collectively build the school and function towards a particular objective. External resources are risky as the school may not have total control of the resources. The school should be cautious and careful and ensure they add to the school and not subtract from it (Thenuwara & Zajda, 2009). The additional resources do a lot in assisting the school-based management school achieve the set goals and objectives. The school is also able to start a continuous improvement process that ensures the school is at all times steps ahead of the competition in terms of resources, technology, talent management and teaching methods. The benefits are bound to trickle down to the students in the class. The result is an improvement in both academic and no academic performance. Parental Involvement and Participation Fifthly, successfully implemented school-based management system is one that promotes parental involvement. The parent is a crucial paly in the activities of the school. The parent is the direct client of the school. As a result, the parent should be at the centermost activities of the school-based management system. The parent further enjoys a very strong relationship with the student. It is critical that the parent is on board in the school-based management system. Parental involvement has been shown to have a positive effect on the general performance of the student (Peterson, 2008). The first stage of parental involvement would be in the setting of the goals, vision and mission of the school-based management school. The input of the parent is required as it assists in setting realistic and ambitious targets. This is possible through representation on the school boards and school-based management councils. The parent is also encouraged to seek information on the performance of the student regularly. The school-based management school should put in place mechanisms to facilitate this. The various mechanisms includes issuance of newsletters by the school, the newsletter would inform the parents and community on various school activities. The school may also prepare annual reports that report on several things. The curriculum of the school, extra curriculum activities and staff development measures should be included in the annual reports. Reports on the performance of the students are also crucial as the parent can monitor the progress of their children in the school (Blandford, 2012). The school further has the responsibility to ensure that this information gets to the parent. The parent may also get personally involved in school activities. They may get involved in classroom studies or for extra curriculum activities. The parents in a school management school are welcome to form and join parents and citizens associations that are directly involved in formulating policies for the schools. Parents may establish and staff tuck shops in or around the school compound. This gives parents avenues where they can have physical contact with the students in the school compound and an informal setting. Parents have the responsibility to make complaints to the school on an issue that they may not agree with. The importance of this is that it keeps the school in check. The school is also reminded of its goals and objectives. The parent should present the complaint to the relevant school authorities and in a civilized manner. The goal of reporting complaints is not to victimize any individual but to advance the objectives of the institution. The school-based management school, on the other hand, has the responsibility to address the complaints raised in a professional manner. The complaint should be resolved quickly and efficiently. Also, the institution should derive invaluable lessons from the complaints to effect changes to the issues in question. The school-based management school should also establish mechanisms to facilitate the reporting of allegations by the parents at any one time. In the technological era, it is crucial for every school-based school to have a website (Derek & Sue, 2005). It is the primary interactive tool between the parent, the community and the school. The website should display information relevant to the school including teaching methods, school landscape, annual reports and contact information. That provides a cheap and readily available mechanism for facilitating parent involvement. The participation of parents in school activities goes a long way in assisting the achievement of the institution’s goals and objectives. Parents also add to the input by teachers and the management in the school. Research has proven that this has a significant impact on student performance. Self - Evaluation Sixthly, a successful school-based management system is one that has established self – evaluation mechanisms in the school. Self-evaluation refers to the ability of the school to evaluate the effectiveness and success of the school-based management system developed in the school. Self-evaluation is paramount as it accesses the progress of the system, the success of the system and the system fo the system. It informs changes and modifications that may be made to the school-based management system. There are several factors that the self-evaluation mechanisms in any institution are required to address. The self-evaluation should be done after a reasonable period has elapsed since its adoption or its modification. The purpose is to allow the effects of the school-based management system to have been fully felt (Meuret & Morlaix, 2003). It is likely to take a few years before the effects of the system can be considered in terms of student learning outcomes. The self-evaluation by the school should be compared to other evaluations done from schools that do not have school-based management systems. The self-evaluation is required to focus on the changes that the school management system had brought to the school. One area of concern would be the role of the school principal under the school-based management. The study would seek to identify the extent to which the school-based management has changed the role of the school principal. It is also important to determine how his or her expanded role has affected his leadership capabilities. Research has indicated that the principal is near breaking point due to the expanded role (Gropello, 2006). Assistance is required from other staff in the school to relieve the heavy burden The second issue that the self-evaluation would cover is the role of the parent and the community in school activities. It should identify how their increased character has been received by the school board and the principle. Besides, the impact that their participation has had on the overall student performance should be evaluated. It has been shown through research that parent participation and involvement has had a positive impact on the student learning outcomes. The self-evaluation should also assess the relationship between the school and the government. The principles of autonomy and devolution established by school-based management have led to an uneasy tension between the school and government institutions. The effects that this tension has on student learning outcomes should be investigated. It has been shown that schools are still struggling in complaining about government policies and directives (Chen, 2011). The primary focus of the self-evaluation is on student learning outcomes. The evaluation is expected to interrogate whether any relationship does exist between the school-based management system and overall student learning outcomes. If such a relationship does exist, the evaluation should identify if it does affect student learning results in a possible of negative way. Research has indicated that the students’ needs are likely to be met in a student based management system leading to improved student learning outcomes. The self-evaluation would identify the implementation costs that come with the school-based management system. It is further important to find out the management costs of the school-based management. Finally, data from various schools should be compared to determine whether the implementation of school-based management in some schools is likely to cause learning and schooling inequalities in the different schools. Accountability Mechanisms Lastly, accountability is necessary for the school management system. The autonomy that comes with the school management system only functions to increase the need for accountability in the schools. Accountability is owed by the school to the parents, teachers, the government and the students (Michell, 2010). There are three accountability systems in the educational sector that the school management system should adhere to The first is the compliance of schools with regulations and laws in their jurisdiction. Laws are enacted by governments to create a code of conduct in the society. They are intended to arrest deviant behavior and point to a particular direction. There are laws that regulate the conduct of various stakeholders in the schools. It includes the roles of the principal, teachers and school boards. The second compliance system is the respect to professional norms and standards. This system makes reference to the principles and practices that have been agreed within the education profession. The rules are observed through global, national and regional bodies and association that regulate the profession. The agencies have set in place the minimum accepted standards and norms. They should be adhered to by every individual and institution in the education profession. Finally, the third accountability system is the results based system. The system defines responsibility in terms of the students learning outcomes. The educational institutions have a duty to the world to produce well educated and learned individuals. The schools also owe a duty to the student to provide the highest possible standards of education. It is these standards that the education institutions should comply with. Accountability systems do not exist or function in isolation (Anderson, 2005). The school management system requires a workable and active accountability system. It is based on several factors. One is objectives, the goals and objectives of the school should guide the accountability systems. The accountability systems should access whether the set objectives and visions have been achieved. The second aspect is instructions; it refers to the means by which the school has stipulated as to facilitate the achievement of the goals and objectives. The accountability systems should determine if these instructions have been followed by the concerned parties. The accountability systems should be accompanied by assessment systems. These systems are to identify whether the requirements set by the accountability systems have been met. The assessment strategies should be clear on the intention of the assessment. The system should also identify the strategies in would use in testing the requirement. The data acquired from the evaluation systems is crucial. It can be used in making changes to policies that interfere with goal achievements. It can be applied as technical assistance to the school management school. The data is useful in furthering the need to address student’s needs. Finally, accountability systems require to be accompanied by reward or sanctions. It determines what happens at the end of the accountability system (Wong et al., 1998). The results of the accountability process should be publicly acknowledged. That is prevalent in the result based accountability system. The results of the schools and individuals are communicated to the public through various avenues. For the schools and individuals that have performed well, a reward should come in handy for them. On the other hand, the schools that have performed poorly would be sanctioned. Accountability systems are integral systems in informing decision making under the school management. The result is their significant contribution to the achievement of set goals and the improvement of student learning outcomes (Winkler, 2004). Conclusion As illustrated from the discussion above, school based management has brought significant changes in the educational sector. School based management has led to increased autonomy of school. It is now possible to create local decision making bodies and authorities. School based management has allowed the increased involvement and participation by parents in school activities. The schools under the school based management are able to set goals that are achievable and tailored to suit the setting of the particular school. A combination of these factors has gone a long way in promoting students learning outcomes. It is true that the school based management system comes with several disadvantages like increased disparities in schooling among different groups. However, the benefits greatly outweigh the limitations and with proper application, these limitations can be done with. References Anderson, J.A. (2005). “Accountability in Education” IIEP. Paris Blandford, S. (2012). “Managing Professional Development in Schools.” Routledge Chen, D. (2011). “School-Based Management, School Decision-Making and Education Outcomes in Indonesian Primary Schools.” World Bank Cheng, C. ( 2013). “School Effectiveness and School Based Management.” Routledge Derek, G & Sue, L. (2005). “Managing Professional Development in Education.” Routledge Dimmock, C. (2013). “School-Based Management and School Effectiveness.” Routledge Fasih, T & Patrinos, H. (2009). “Decentralized Decision – making in Schools: The Theory and Evidence on School – Based Management.” World Bank Publications Frehner, P. 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