Background and Significance of Site Based Management

Video Transcription

In this tutorial, we'll be discussing the idea of site-based management. We'll begin with some background where I will share with you the basics of site-based management. And then we'll discuss its significance. Why is site-based management important? Let's get started.

Let's begin with the basics. What is site-based management? Site-based management is a model of school and district organization that supports site-based initiatives and school improvement efforts at all stages, from implementation to capacity building to long-term sustainability.

Creating opportunities in a school and in an overall district to build that capacity to both implement and sustain these initiatives and these continuous improvement efforts is a really crucial component in school success efforts. And ultimately, we want to have an end goal of increasing student achievement through the proper and effective use of curriculum and instruction and assessment and aligning to school improvement goals. And so site-based management is a particular model of organization that can help us in these endeavors.

Site-based management allows each individual school to establish communities of practice which will help to set goals and achieve objectives that are aligned with the initiatives or continuous improvement efforts of the individual school. So any programs or goals that are unique to that school can then play an important role in the site-based management plan for that school, even if they wouldn't have, perhaps, played such a big role in an overall district organizational plan.

So a site-based management approach allows each school to develop its own, unique systems and structures that will help in school governance and school improvement. And though there is that strong level of autonomy for each school in a site-based management organizational plan, it is important to remember that these school improvement plans and school improvement goals often still do need to be aligned to the overarching goals and vision and mission of the district in the district's strategic plan.

The key difference is that when site-based management is being used, not only is there that larger district strategic plan that is guiding things, but each school also is allowed to create its own plan under that umbrella that will meet the unique needs of the students and teachers and community in that particular school.

The decision-making structure in site-based management is a more democratic process than the structure that's found in a more top-down, traditional, district-led approach to decision-making. And this decision-making process includes both the voices of the administrators and the voices of the teachers through these communities of practice that are established in the school environment.

And so this shared decision-making process creates an environment in which the principal and the teacher leaders work together in this joint effort to establish and achieve mutually agreed upon goals and missions and visions for the various school buildings in the district. You will also find that parents and community members can be active in these communities of practice in varying degrees, depending on the unique situations of the individual schools.

Some states actually require that districts incorporate site-based management. And in other states, site-based management is established through a local education agency in order to meet the unique needs of each district.

And so depending on where you are and depending on how and why your site-based management was established in the first place, you'll find that there are different levels of authority. For example, sometimes there will be complete collaboration between the district administrators and the school team. Other times, you'll find that there is more of an advisory relationship where the school team will provide their plans for consideration by the district administrators. But there is not that level of pure collaboration.

And then sometimes you'll see the other end of the spectrum, where all of the decisions are made at the school level. So the site-based management team really becomes a full decision-making entity.

You'll also see some variation in the structure of these teams. Some site-based management teams will be principal-led, and others will be teacher-led. Some schools might actually have several different teams, each with a unique purpose.

So why is site-based management so important? What is the significance of site-based management? Well, we often see that site-based management is a critical component of school reform efforts and of school improvement initiatives. It can be a powerful model to implement when you are aiming to sustain those continuous improvement efforts in your school and in your overall district.

Site-based management helps to create a shared vision among all of the stakeholders in the school buildings and, once again, across the entire district. And this promotes shared ownership of the goals at each site that are aligned with that vision. It really helps to place ownership of decisions that impact a school at that school level. And this increases both teacher voice and principal voice. And this empowers the decision-making ability of teachers and principals alike.

When teachers and principals feel this shared ownership of school improvement efforts, we typically see increased accountability in efforts to implement and then sustain these mutually agreed upon, site-based initiatives. We see increased accountability in improving student achievement, in building community partnerships, in improving instructional practices, and in engaging in those continuous improvement efforts. And so with those types of benefits, we can really see how site-based management can be a very powerful tool for us to use.

So here's a chance for you to stop and reflect. Does your district already incorporate site-based management? If so, have you already seen some of these benefits in action? If your district does not currently incorporate site-based management, can you see how some of these benefits might come about as a result of the implementation of this organizational model?

To dive a little deeper and learn how to apply this information, be sure to check out the additional resources section associated with this video. This is where you'll find links targeted toward helping you discover more ways to apply this course material. Thanks for joining me. Have a great day.