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STUDY 1 - ROLE OF SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
1.1 Introduction
School principals have two major roles. First, they provide instructional leadership to their teachers. To carry out this role successfully, they first have to be technically capable. This means that they are not only familiar to some degree with the content of their school's major educational programs (although obviously not all) but also they need to be conversant with progressive teaching methods, in this context the active teaching learning methodology known as PAKEM . While they may not be personally able to use PAKEM methods in their teaching, as a minimum, school principals should recognize and support their teachers use of PAKEM methods.
The other function of school principals within this role is being able to conduct formative evaluation of their teachers, and so support them in their professional development. Frequent visits to observe teachers at work not only lend credence to the new teaching methods being used but also enable the school principal to know the strengths and weaknesses of his individual staff members. This valuable knowledge enables him/her not only to guide teachers to appropriate training but also to allocate them to other non-teaching duties which use their strengthens or develops their weaker skills.
Their second role of school principals is to provide management leadership. Within the framework of school-based management, the school principal has several functions: to lead the school's periodic self assessment and collect school data, to use the data obtained to develop the school's medium to long-term development plan, and from that document, to produce the school's annual action plan and associated budget, known in Indonesian as RAPBS, and to monitor implementation of that plan. Being able to delegate to others the responsibility to implement various activities within these processes while still retaining overall and final responsibility for them is one of the main features of a more successful manager.
Since decentralization and its accompanying reforms, specifically school-based management (SBM) and the creation of school committees to fulfil the governance function, school principals have been given greater opportunities to implement the various functions of their two roles. In line with this freedom, school principals are also being exposed to various trainings and role models which introduce them to and encourage them to implement change in their own schools. The SBM program in particular, encourages heads to implement changes and seek innovative solutions to identified problems faced by their school (meaning themselves, their teachers and the school's community). In theory, school principals are no longer expected to wait for inputs or permission from MONE to carry out activities. Just how far school principals are taking up these new opportunities and actually have the capacity to do so is the focus of this study.
1.2 Major findings
Characteristics of a non-traditional school principal
A non-traditional school principal could be defined as someone who has discarded much of MONE's rather authoritarian model of a top-down manager of the school. In this previous model, the school principal received directions and instructions from various government quarters (MONE in particular) which s/he may or may not have relayed on to all the school staff. With decentralization and the wider implementation of school based management, the school is expected to be more independent of official authority and at the same time, more open and cooperative with the community.
The more progressive school principals are becoming more democratic and progressive in handling affairs inside and external to their school. A number of personal qualities mentioned by respondents in relation to this need to change the style of leadership included the school principal being democratic, wise, innovative, open, flexible and adaptive. The range of personal qualities identified by the canvassed school principals themselves in the study showed a general understanding of the new roles and functions expected of them under SBM. Many school principals recognized that they needed to be friendly and able to get along with people and most important, to be a colleague with their teachers rather than a closed boss issuing or relaying orders without allowing discussion.
Being cooperative was also mentioned as important, so that they could collaborate and work in a group or team within and outside the school. Other personal qualities thought to be required for the position of school principal included - being a good communicator, the teacher's partner; able to inspire teacher trust; supportive of teachers activities; share leadership with others; and a vision setter. Of importance also was being willing to discuss solutions to problems, and to accept suggestions and inputs, along with the capacity to accept criticism from colleagues or parents/ community. Finally, the need for school principals to be open to innovation and change, and posses the vital quality of "being brave to take the risks involved and to try out innovations" was highlighted by an innovative school principal in Probolinggo.
3 Indonesian for active, creative, effective, joyful learning.
Good practices
Having been working in this new climate for 1-2 years, school principals were able to draw on their experiences to identify good practices of the school principal. Most of these focused on their role as a manager, whether internally of the school staff or for external collaboration with parents and the community. Only four were mentioned in relation to their role of instructional leadership. Perhaps the former is more in need of change and recognized as such.
Good practice related to the role of instructional leader covered being able to show good teaching in the classroom - for which most school principals would first need to see and implement PAKEM teaching methods, being able to help teachers when they have a problem, and being able to motivate and give professional support. None explicitly mentioned good school principal practice related to the formative monitoring of teachers, although it was implicit in "understand teachers' condition, their weaknesses and strengths, knowing when to guide and encourage and helping them when they face difficulties". Only one good practice was mentioned in relation to pupils, which was "able to help students make good learning achievements".
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