Characteristics of an effective school
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Date
2005
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of an effective school. School effectiveness means that the school satisfied external criteria such as the demands of the community, parents and learners, and does well against comparable institutions in areas such as examination results.
From the literature study it became clear that an effective school is one that can demonstrate quality in its aims, in overseeing of learners, in curriculum design, in standards of teaching and academic achievements and in its link to the local community. The literature supplied a vast amount of evidence to support the common notion that the characteristics of an individual school can make a difference in the learners' overall progress. What all successful schools have in common is effective leadership and a climate conducive to growth. An effective school is characterised by learner performance, educator competence, a culture of mutually reinforcing expectations, trust, staff interaction and participation in the development of instructional goals, curriculum and classroom practice.
For the purpose of the empirical investigation a self-structured questionnaire for educators was utilised. The data obtained from the completed questionnaires was processed and analysed by means of descriptive statistics. The findings from the empirical study confirmed that the effective functioning of a school largely depends on the leadership, management expertise and skills, the functioning of the management team, educators' commitment and accountable parental involvement.
In conclusion a summary of the study was presented and based on the findings of the literature and empirical study, the following recommendations were made:
> Training and guidance, in the form of workshops and/or seminars, should be given to principals on the effective running of schools.
> Programmes should be implemented by schools to empower parents in matters concerning their involvement in schools.
> Further research ought to be conducted concerning ways to improve the effectiveness of schools.
Description
Submitted in fuIfilment ofthe requirement for the degree Master of EDUCATION
in the Department of Educational Psychology of the Faculty of Education at the
University of Zululand, South Africa, 2005.
Keywords
School effectiveness