School is service organization that is committed teaching and learning. The ultimate goal of the school is student learning (Hoy, 2008). School management in the new era requires professionals to take action. Changing in economic, social and technological is very fast and continuing, expands to all countries around the world causes the challenges more complex (Yu, 2009). The school principle is the key factor in order to create a sense of excitement about teaching and learning within the school and community by focusing on dreams and expectations of students, parents and the community (Bennis & Nanus, 1985). Educational leadership is enormously area. There two distinct career paths, one is very large, the government school principal and the other is the private school leadership. The private sector leadership offers the more flexibility and challenge for individual to manage.
In the real world organizations, not everyone can be a successful leadership, especially, for the organization as schools. In most private schools, marketing is essential as it promotes the school to prospective students and parents. The principal is responsible for school’s marketing (James & Philips, 1995). Principaks are facing complex situations and they have to change their roles to meet the changing external environment. They must organize the services offered to their students, and to ensure that these services reach those with the greatest needs. At the same time, to ensure that there is no trouble of teaching and learning process in school. School principals must serve as change agents of the schools (Lashway, 2003b). They are to lead change in schools to fulfill the requirements that society has largely demanded.
This paper aims to examine the challenges of being a headship of a private school in Thailand. It looks at the growth of the private school industry in Thailand. Data will obtain from field studies as well as published reports of the Government ministries. Specifically, the paper will study through the case of private schools principaks in Thailand, both present and retired. The paper will include an overview of questions related to the roles of the principles and the relations between school and the community.
In the first section of this article are the objectives of the study and the research questions. A background of the private school business is included. Next, a review of the literature on Challenge of being a headship of a private school will be discussed. The following section analyses the findings of the study and considers the implications of the analysis for private school principal.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This paper examines the trends of growth of the private school business in Thailand and aims to study on the challenges of private school leadership in Thailand. It also looks at factors that have remained the driving force in the development of the private school business. The main objectives of this study are:
1) To study the structure and trends in the growth of the private schools in Thailand.
2) To ascertain the leadership qualities of private schools principals.
3) To understand the expectations and of educational leadership in the private school environment.
4) To determine what factors contributed to the effectiveness of the schools
5) What quality the principal possesses to lead the school effectively.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is the state of leadership among private school principals?
2. What is the principals’ perception of their leadership roles?
3. What are the constraints and difficulties that the principals face when they take up these leadership roles?
4. What is the uncertainty of being a headship?
Bibliography
Bennis, W., & Nanus, B. Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper
& Row, 1985.
Hoy, Wayne. K. & Cecil G. Miskel. Educational Administration: Theory, Research, and Practice. Singapore : Mc Graw-Hill, 2008
James, C., & Philips, P. The practice of educational marketing in schools. Educational
Management and Administration, 1995.
Lashway, L. Role of the School Leader. Trends and Issues. [Online] Available via: ERIC, 2003. (Access date 19 May 2011)
Victor Yu S.O. “Principal Leadership for Private Schools Improvement: The Singapore Perspective” in European Journal of Social Sciences. [Online]. Available: http://www.eurojournals.com/ejss_8_1_16.pdf. (Access date: 11 May, 2011)
