Education systems in many developing countries are being decentralized.

Authority for making decisions for school improvement is devolving to the school-level

which puts unprecedented pressure on school principals to be accountable for the quality

of education provided by their school. This chapter discusses a problem related to school

principalship in a decentralized education system. The problem is grounded in the

principal-agent paradigm as described by Galal  and Chapman , as well as a

model for teacher incentives. A discussion explaining how the construct of self-efficacy  serves as a framework for investigating school principalship for this study is included.

The educational value of decentralization lies in the devolution of authority and

responsibility for schools from the central-level administration to the schools themselves.

Shifting decision making to those closer to the school and community leads to decisions

that are more responsive to local conditions and needs. If principals are not prepared for

this new level of authority and increased responsibility, then any educational value

decentralization may hold is lost.

The level of responsibility principals must assume is further compounded by the

pressures for improved education quality that already exist in most developing countries.

A number of developing countries report near universal access and the leveling of

enrollment growth at the primary school level. This increases attention to improving

quality of education.

A consequence of this increased attention to quality is that administrators at all

levels of the education sector, particularly school principals, need a better understanding

of the teaching and learning processes and the actions that are likely to improve the

quality of education. Even when resources are available, the problem principals face in

improving school quality is knowing which inputs and actions will lead to improved

teaching and learning.

There is a great need to improve education management at the school level. This

need is widely advocated, although least examined as education systems become

decentralized. Original research investigating the factors that contribute to principals’

sense of capacity for improving school quality under a decentralized system would

provide important insights for strengthening education management at the school level.

By: Lorena M. Navata | Teacher-III | Limay National High School