Effectiveness of Schools’ Management and Its Measurement – a Review of Concepts

Abstract

Purpose – Identification of factors determining the effectiveness of public schools’ management, and the establishment of means for developing the concept of measuring the schools’ effectiveness. Methodology – Review and assessment of concepts and studies present in Polish and international literature pertaining to the evaluation of public schools’ effectiveness. Findings – The hitherto methods for evaluating schools are unsatisfactory. It is largely associated with ambiguous definitions of schools’ effectiveness and identification of objectives and tasks schools are to achieve and undertake, associated with it. This, in turn, results from the fact that effectiveness assessment may by defined differently by various stakeholders. However, the measurement of effectiveness is necessary due to the fact that it facilitates the emergence of high quality educational services in Polish public schools. Research implications – The review of literature indicates that the assessment of educational added value over the course of several years of education seems valid. This means that rather than tracking final results achieved by students, the growth of students’ knowledge ought to be measured. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method may be helpful in relation to the above. The method seems well-suited for evaluating the effectiveness of NGO sector institutions, and takes non-financial factors into consideration, which will enable methodologically categorized knowledge on the effectiveness of schools’ management to be obtained. Practical implications – Results of the present study may be applied by institutions supervising public schools and by individuals who manage these institutions in order to perform periodic assessments of schools’ effectiveness, and who would stimulate the education quality improvement. Social implications – Results of the present study may foster the improvement of schools’ competitiveness and improvement of their educational actions’ quality. Originality/ Value – The paper supplements knowledge regarding the assessment of Polish public schools’ effectiveness. Type of article – A theoretical paper.