School improvement practices of basic school heads in the Effutu municipality

Abstract

This study investigated the school improvement practices of basic school heads in the Effutu Municipality. The objectives of the study, based on Lezzote’s correlates of effective schools, were to find out the instructional leadership practices exhibited by basic school heads, identify ways in which basic school heads monitor students’ progress, examine the measures basic school heads adopt to ensure a safe and orderly environment for students as well as the strategies employed by basic school heads to create learning opportunities for students in the Effutu Municipality. The study employed a qualitative approach underpinned by the interpretive paradigm. Specifically, the study employed a case study research design with purposive sampling procedure to select a sample of seventeen (17) participants. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The effective schools and instructional leadership theories provided a broad framework for the study. The study revealed that the instructional leadership practices exhibited by basic school heads in the Effutu Municipality are instructional supervision, inclusivity approach and managerial and administrative functions. The head teachers constantly observed classroom activities and inspected teachers’ lesson notes and students’ workbooks as means of monitoring students’ progress. Again, besides mobilizing support to undertake maintenance and renovation works in their schools, basic school head teachers in the Effutu Municipality also instituted a School-Parents-Community partnership as a way of safeguarding the environment for students to learn. Finally, the study revealed that the head teachers employed such strategies as ability-based learning, ability groupings, access to learning materials, assessment and organizing extracurricular activities to help create learning opportunities for their students. The study concluded that although the school improvement practices of basic school heads in the Effutu Municipality are in line with Lezzote’s effective schools model, there is no evidence to suggest that these influence learning outcomes. With evidence of the use of technology and virtual studies being ignored by the head teachers, the study recommends that the Effutu Municipal Education Directorate adopts a digital technology policy for all heads of basic schools in the Municipality. The Directorate should build the capacity of the heads and help them gain the competencies needed to enhance their school improvement practices through technology. The basic school heads should also study their schools’ situations and adopt practices that best work for them.