Topic 9: The School Head in School-Based Management

(SBM)

Introduction
The Local Governance Code of 1991 (RA 7160) provided for a more responsive
local government structure through a system of decentralization where local
governments are given more power, authority, responsibilities and resources.
Likewise with the introduction of School-Based Management in Philippine
schools, schools are given more power to direct their affairs with the learning and
development of learners as ultimate goal. In this Chapter, you are expected to
learn the rewards and challenges in implementing SBM especially on the part of
the school head.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Chapter, you should be able to:

● explain the meaning, advantages, disadvantages and demands of SBM;

● state practices aligned to SBM; and

● explain the roles, functions and competencies of school heads in SBM

Activity-Let's Read These

Mabuhay Elementary School had very low Mean Percentage Score (MPS) in the
last Grade 6 exit examination. Pupil tardiness and absences are rampant. Truancy
is another problem as some pupils cut classes because they spend their time
playing video games in the computer shops nearby. Absences are also very
rampant. Children claim they are told to absent by their parents to do rice planting
and harvesting.

Feeling helpless, Ms. Ligaya called on teachers, parents and leaders of the
community for a meeting. In the meeting, she presented the problems of the
school and asked for help to improve school performance. There were many
suggestions given. So these were written down in a simple matrix like the one
below:
Problem Cause Objecti Activity Perso Resour Timefr Expect
ve ns ces ame ed
involv Needed Outco
ed me
1. Late To Talk to PTA, PTA Zero
Tardines rising reduce parents officer meetin tar
s due to tv, tardine in s; g on
distance ss to Homero teache March
of home zero om. rs 15
to Schoo
school; l
compute Head;
r shop
2.Absen Games To Present PTA Video March Unexcu
teesism in reduce problem officer clips 30 sed
compute unexcu and s; absenc
r shops; sed seek Teach es
pupils absenc solution ers, Games reduce
lack of es to in PTA Schoo d to
interest zero Meeting l Head zero.
to go to ; PTA Refere
school; talk to nces
work in comput
the farm er shops
owners;

Teacher
s to
come
up with
interesti
ng
lessons
to
motivat
ed
students
to come
to
 school.
Analysis Let's Analyze

Share your answers with your small group.

1. What problems did Mabuhay Elementary School have?
2. What did Ms. Ligaya, the school head, do to address the problem?
3. Could it have been better if she addressed the problem by herself? What could
have possibly happened if she did it alone?
4. What was the advantage of involving others in addressing the problems?
5.Wasn't a directive from the Office of the Superintendent or Regional Director
the fastest solution to the problems? Why or why not?

Abstraction Let's Conceptualize

The Meaning of School-Based Management (SBM)

Ms. Ligaya, the school head, is smart. She knew she couldn’t solve the problems
all alone so she involved the teachers, the parents, the student leaders and leaders
of the community. She knew that by involving them these members of the school
community will feel a sense of importance and a sense of ownership. Because
they were the ones directly involved with the problems, they themselves are in the
best position to solve the problem. The actions that Ms. Ligaya took are all in
accordance with School-Based Management.

What is school-based management?

School based-management is a decentralized management initiative by
developing power or authority to school heads, teachers, parents and students.
(SBM) is a strategy to improve education by transferring significant decision-
making authority from the DepEd Central Office, regional offices, and division
offices to individual schools.
SBM provides principals, process by giving them responsibility for decisions
about the budget, personnel, and the curriculum. Through the involvement of
teachers, parents, and other community members in these key decisions, SBM can
create more effective learning environments for children.
SBM and the principle of Subsidiarity
SBM is in keeping with the principle of subsidiarity which states that it is the
people at the lowest level who will know best their problems and so are in the
best position to address the same. This tenet hold that “nothing should be done by
a larger and more complex organization which can be done as well by a smaller
and simpler organization. In other words, any activity which can be performed by
a more decentralized entity should be done by that more decentralized entity.”
(https://action.org/pub/religion-liberty/volome-6-number-4/principle-subsidiarity)
Those in the higher achelon are far removed from the scene and are therefore not
as involved and as informed as those from those below.
Advantages of SBM
The following are strengths of SBM:

● Allow competent individuals in the schools to make decisions that will

improve learning;
● Give the entire school community a voice in key decisions

● Focus accountability for decisions;

● Lead to greater creativity in the design of programs Redirect resources to

support the goals developed in each school; Lead to realistic budgeting as
parents and teachers become more aware of the school's financial status,
spending limitations, and the cost of its programs; and,
● Improve morale of teachers and nurture new leadership at all levels.

Through SBM, decision making authority is devolved to school heads, teachers,

parents and students. This is school empowerment. This reduces bureaucratic
controls on schools and encourage school heads, teachers and parents to use
greater initiative in meeting the needs of students and community. This results in
a Sense of Community school ownership which makes the school realize 15
vision and mission.
Involving stakeholder’s parents, teachers, students and other members of the
community is also helpful in the mobilization of local resources to complement
public resources. Concrete proof of this is the number of classrooms built as a
result of the strong partnership between schools and communities and successful
school- community programs like those described in the Chapter on The School
and the Community.

Through SBM, problems and needs at the school level get solved faster and
specific personalities and cultures are taken into consideration. These
personalities and cultures are usually ignored in multi-layered in hierarchical
organization like DepEd. In a hierarchical organization, straight jacket rules,
procedures and allocation norms are given and apply to all. It takes time to solve
problems if schools have to wait for answers from above. As a result, teachers,
parents and students are frustrated due to delays.

In SBM, schools take the responsibility to plan and implement their School
Improvement Plans (SIP),. (The table that you scrutinized in the Activity phase of
the lesson is a part of a School Improvement Plan). It is the schools themselves,
not DepEd higher offices that know best their problems and the solutions to these
problems. It is the schools that determine the number and kind of teachers they
need, the kind of learning materials and resources they need.

Since schools are given more power to direct themselves, they are made
accountable for results. SBM makes schools accountable to the stakeholders

Legal Basis of SBM

The Philippine Constitution provides that Congress shall enact a local government
code that will institutionalize a system of decentralization (Article 10, Sec. 3)
whereby local government units shall be extended more power, authority....The
Local Government Code in 1991 is a fulfillment of this Constitutional provision.

This means that long before the Department of Education (DepEd) legally
introduced decentralization in schools through School-Based Management (SBM)
in 2001 through the enactment of RA 9155, local government units were already
empowered for local governance. RA 9155, Basic Governance Act transfers the
power and authority as well as the resources to the school level. School
empowerment is based on the assumption that the school heads including
teachers, key leaders in the community, parents know best the root and solution to
the problem.

Conditions for the Success of SBM

● Teachers, school heads must be given the opportunity to make choices.

They must actively participate in school improvement planning.
● The involvement of parents and teachers must be strongly encouraged and
highly welcomed.
 ● Stakeholders must participate in the development of a School
Improvement Plan. They must have a say on resource allocation to meet
specific needs.
● Higher authorities’ experimentation and innovation in an atmosphere
where mistakes are viewed as learning experiences. They must be willing
to share their authority with the academic and the larger community.
● Teachers must develop reflection, problem solving.

● In addition, based on international experience, the following must be

present for SBM to succeed in schools:
● have basic resources,

● have developed an effective school support system;

● are provided with regular information on their performance;

● are given advice on how they may improve; and

● emphasize the motivational element in the management work of the

principal

The success of SBM very much depends on the school head.

Below are his/her functions:

Table 5 Functions of a school head

Roles Functions
Visionary principal, Lead in setting the vision, Change and future
motivator, mission and
orientation
advocate and planner goals of the school

Builder of networks and Organize/expand school, Networking, organizing,

support Organize /expand community and local social mobilization,
school, community and | government networks and advocacy
Networking, organizing, groups that will actively
systems participate in school
improvement.
 Lead in developing the
School
Improvement Plan with the
participation
of the staff and
the community
Lead in developing and
maintaining the School
Management Information
system
Curriculum Developer Create a physical and
psychological climate
conducive to teaching and
learning.
Localize and implement
school curriculum.
Encourage development
and use of innovative
instructional methods
focused on improving
learning outcomes,
increasing access to basic
education, improving the
holding power of schools
and addressing specific
local problems.
Fiscal Resource Manager Administer and manage all
personnel,
physical and fiscal resources
Development of teamwork,
building consensus and
skills in negotiation and
conflict resolution
Participatory planning and
administrative
management
Generation and use of
data and information as
basis for planning and
management.
Development of
collective accountability
for school and student
performance.
Designing of the
curriculum to address
both national goals, local
needs and aspirations.
Creation of an open
learning system based
on several resource
materials rather than on
single textbooks.
Participatory and peer-
based instructional
supervision.
Fund Management
 of the
School

Encourage and accept Serving as model for

donations, gifts, bequest and transparency and
grants for educational accountability especially
purposes and report all such in financial
donations to the appropriate
management.
offices.

Factors of School Effectiveness Based on Research

Effective practices need to be institutionalized for them to become part of the

school culture. To build professional capacity and establish mechanism that
supports the continuing quality improvement of schools is an assurance that
effective schools even become more effective. School-Based Management
(SBM) is the mechanism introduced by the Department of Education in the
Philippines to continuously work on effective schools. As the term implies, in
SBM, schools are given greater autonomy to make decisions regarding education
of children.

There research finding of OECD confirms "that school autonomy has a positive
relationship with student performance when account- ability measures are in place
and/or when school principals and teachers collaborate in school management"
(OECD, 2012). China and Singapore have been "devolving more responsibility to
the school level" (Stewart, 2008). In Finland, accountability rests on the trust
placed by families and government in the professional competence of teachers
(Stewart, 2008).

In the Philippines, the devolving of more responsibility to the schools was done
through the School-Based Management (SBM). SBM was introduced during the
implementation of the

Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP), 1999-2005. In 2005, TEEP

conducted a study to determine the effect of school-based management on student
performance in the Philippines using the administrative dataset of all public
schools in 23 school districts over a 3-year period, 2003-2005. The results showed
that the introduction of SBM had a statistically significant, although small, overall
positive effect on average school-level test scores in 23 school districts in the
Philippines. (Source: http:///elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/1813-9450-
5248). Accessed 9-1-16)
With SBM, significant decision-making authority transferred from state and
district offices to individual schools. SBM provided principals, teachers, students,
and parents greater control over the education process by giving them
responsibility for decisions about the budget, personnel, and the curriculum.
Through the involvement of teachers, parents, and other community members in
these key decisions, SBM can create more effective learning environments for
children. (Source: Office of Research Education/Consumer Guide). To further
strengthen the School-Based Management (SBM) practice and re-emphasize the
centrality of the learners and the involvement of relevant community in basic
education service delivery, the DepEd

DepEd) embarked on revisiting the SBM framework, assessment of Education the

SBM Framework, assessment practices across the regions (D0 83, s. 2012). To
institutionalize decentralization efforts at the School level and in line with
Republic act No. 9155 also known as Governance of Basic Education, the
Department of Education (DepEd) provided School-Base. Management (SBM)
Grants as additional funds to public element and secondary schools,... to augment
the school fund on Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (DO 45, s. 2015).

Philippine Accreditation System for Basic Education (PASBE)

The institutionalization of SBM was strengthened with the introduction of the

Philippine Accreditation System for Basic Education (PASBE) which was
launched through DepED Order No. 64, S. 2012. Accreditation is a process of
self-evaluation and peer review to ensure that quality standards agreed upon by
stakeholders are understood, implemented, maintained, and enhanced for
continuous improvement of learner outcomes (DepEd DO 20, s. 2013 The
Philippine Accreditation System for Basic Education (PASBE) Supplemental
Guidelines to DepEd Order No. 83, S. 2012). Source:
http://www.teacherph.com/a-comprehensive-guide-to-school-based-management
sbm/Accessed 9-2-2016

The agreed upon standards of quality or effective schools are grounded on the
four principles of A Child-and –Community Centered Education Systems
(ACCESs), namely: (1) principle collective leadership (2) principle of
community-based leartu5) principle of accountability for performance and results
and principle of convergence to harness resources for education. All of these four
principles also apply to SBM.
3. The school's level of SBM practice can either be a Level 1, Developing
Developing; Level II, Maturing and Level III, Advanced. A School that reaches
the highest level of SBM practice qualifies for an accredited status.

A School in Level I, developing, means that the school is developing structures

and mechanisms with acceptable level and extent or Community participation and
impact on learning School in Level I1, described as Maturing, means that the
school is introducing and sustaining continuous improvement process that
integrates wider community participation and significantly improve performance
and learning outcomes. Level II, Advanced (Accredited) A means that the school
is ensuring the production of intended outputs/outcomes and meeting all standards
of a system fully integrated in the local community and is self-renewing and self-
sustaining.

In conclusion, PASBE is a means to institutionalize SBM, the granting of more

autonomy to schools for them to chart their destiny to grow in effectiveness
continuously.

Factors that Contribute to School Effectiveness

Research findings point to the following factors that spell school effectiveness:
1. Human factors These include a dynamic school head, highly selected
competent and committed teachers, highly motivated pupils with high
expectations, and a supportive community.

2. Non- human factors, processes- These refer to clear and shared vision-mission
(focus), high expectations/ ambitious standards, emphasis on accountability,
aligned curriculum, instruction and assessment with state DepEd standards,
efficiency or optimal utilization of resources and facilities, collaboration and
communication, development, and global and future orientation.

These factors are exemplified by high performing schools in the Philippines and
abroad and by the best education performing countries in the world.

In the Philippines, the practice of School-Based Management, gave greater

autonomy to schools to make decisions in collaboration with parents and
community towards greater school effectiveness. The SBM Assessment Tool is an
instrument used to assess Schools effectiveness and its use for accreditation of
schools is an assurance that effective practices get institutionalized to build the
school's culture of excellence. A copy of this SBM Assessment Tool is in

Appendix A.

The heart of all these elements, both human and non-human 1s the school head,
the school leader. This means that all these factors that contribute to school
effectiveness come forth only with a dynamic and a transformational school
leader.

Application- Let's Apply

1. Form 4 groups. Each group will do a PowerPoint presentation to explain one of

the f 1) meaning, 2) advantages, 3) disadvantages and 4) demands of SBM.
2. Divide the class into 2 groups. Each group will simulate a meeting called by the
school head to address the following problems: 1) litter in the school grounds and
classroom, 2) bullying among students, 3) poorly motivated students. Apply the
principles of SBM.
After each simulation, point out which act was/was not in accordance with SBM
principles?

TAKEAWAYS

● SBM means school-based management. It is the empowerment of Schools

to direct their own affairs for high performance.
 ● Involves the school he head leading his/ her teachers, students, parents and
other members of the community to address problems and concerns with
the ultimate goal of improving school performances. It is based on the
principle of subsidiarity which states that it is those who are most involved
at the lowest level of the organization who can best solve their problems.
● The advantages of SBM include:

- Allows competent individuals in the schools to make decisions that

will improve learning
- gives the entire school community a voice in key decisions,
- Practices focuses accountability for decisions
- Demands greater creativity in the design of programs,
- Redirects resources to support the goals developed in each school,
- Leads to realistic budgeting as parents and teachers become more
aware of the school's financial status, spending limitations, and the
cost of its programs,
- Improves morale of teachers and nurtures new leadership at all levels.
● Disadvantage of SBM
- Participatory decision-making needs time and may slow down process
● Demands of SBM
- Active and intelligent participation of stakeholders
- Democratic and transformative leadership of school head
- Support and openness of higher authorities to schools
● Roles of school head
- Visionary leader, planner, implementer, evaluator
- Fiscal resource manager
- Curriculum developer

Let's Check for Understanding

I. Put a check (V) before the statement/ s that applies to SBM and an (X) before
those that don’t.
1. In SBM, only the school head matters.
2. In SBM, the Schools Division Superintendent is the leader.
3. Parents who have no children in the school cannot be consulted in SBM.
4. Sch0ol empowerment is the essence of SBM.
5. Students cannot be consulted by the school head because they are not yet
adults.
6. One advantage of SBM is the development of a sense of School ownership
among members of the academic and larger Community.
7. SBM is aligned to the principle of subsidiarity.
8. SBM succeeds even if school head is closed to ideas and suggestions. Anyway,
he/she is the head on whom the solution of the problem depends.
9. One weakness of SBM is delayed action because there must be consultation of
stakeholders.
10. SBM has no weakness, only strengths.
11. SBM is in keeping with the decentralization move a encouraged by the
Philippine Constitution.
12. SBM 1s School empowerment.
13. An authoritarian atmosphere encourages empowerment
14. In SBM, experimentation is welcome.
l5. In SBM, schools just wait for approved budget that include specific 1tems to
spend on.

I. Metaphoric Thinking
To which do you compare SBM ? Write a metaphor.
SBM is _________________________________________________________.
As a future teacher what did you find most meaningful in this lesson and why?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________

Let's Reflect
Do I welcome SBM or do I see it as an additional work?

Taking it to the Net

Which countries apply SBM? Did SBM implementation help improve their
schools? Share your findings.
LET Clinchers

Multiple Choice: Select the letter of the correct answer.

1. Is SBM, if implemented the right way, an effective way to strengthen school
and community partnership?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Depends on size of school
D. Depends on school location

2. Which is an advantage of SBM?

A. Fast resolution of problems in School because school head decides
B. Sense of ownership of stakeholders
C. In accordance with decentralization law
D. Total independence of schools

3. Which is the essence of SBM?

A. Reduced authority of school head
B. Absolute freedom of education stakeholders
C. Principal empowerment
D. School empowerment

4. For SBM to succeed, which must be present?

A. Effective school support system
B. Leader with a strong personality
C. Docile community
D. Low expectation

5. With SBM in mind, which does NOT belong?

A. Decentralized management
B. Devolution of power to schools
C. School empowerment
D. Centralized management