Operational Management
School Management - Practice Indicator
Essence
The aim of this indicator is to measure whether core operational management functions are carried out for each school, regardless of whether there is a school principal. The indicator measures two things: presence of functions and quality of functions (in terms of whether they are carried out in a timely manner).
Indicator
A score from 1 to 5 capturing presence and quality of core operational management functions. This score is built using the responses to the two vignettes outlined below. Each of the vignettes has an equal weight. The indicator is disaggregated by rural/urban location.
Background
Recent studies have highlighted the importance of management quality for higher productivity in the public sector (Branch et el. 2012; Bloom, Propper, et al. 2015; McCormack et al. 2014, Rasul & Rogger 2013; Lavy & Boiko 2017). In many countries, poor management and governance undermine the quality of education. Though the allocation of responsibility differs from country to country and from school to school, there is a set of core functions that are within the purview of most of the world’s systems of basic education. In the literature, these core functions have been categorized into three large dimensions: planning, implementation, and monitoring (Pritchett & Pande 2006). Together, these functions bring together teaching, inputs, infrastructure, and prepared learners in an environment where learning takes place. These functions range from the selecting and hiring of teachers to the implementation of school repairs. The aim of this indicator is to measure whether core operational functions are carried out for each school, regardless of whether there is a school principal. The indicator will measure two things: presence of functions and quality of functions.
School Survey
Instrument Used for Measurement
Measurement Approach
The School Management module of the School Survey, which is directed to the principal, head teacher, or most senior teacher includes 2 vignettes describing hypothetical scenarios related to (i) infrastructure repair/maintenance, and (ii) school material availability. Other core functions – like teacher hiring, supervision, and training – are being captured through other indicators. Each vignette has 4-6 questions asking how the function would be handle or if handled at all.
For example, the scenario could be “We are now going to give you a hypothetical scenario and we want you to answer these questions based on your experience and what you think would happen. Please think of this scenario. You work at your school. The school year has just begun and the drainage of the main bathroom that students use stops working.” Based on this scenario, the enumerator would then ask a series of questions to assess who would be responsible for the problem, the likely actions that would be taken to resolve the problem, and the feasibility of fixing the problem within an appropriate timeframe.
Instrument Sources
Newly developed, but based on Development World Management Survey (DWMS)