Projecting a Good Image of School: How a Principal Can Achieve this Goal?
Elni Jeini Usoh*a), Henny N. Tambingon a), Jeffry S.J. Lengkong a), Sherly F. Lensun b)
a) Universitas Negeri Manado
Pasca Sarjana
Program Studi: Manajemen Pendidikan
*Email: elni.usoh[at]unima.ac.id
b) Universitas Negeri Manado
Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni
Abstract
There has been a tendency in most schools to become increasingly aware of their image in the community. The school principals are realising the need to work positively with community to ensure a good image of the school. It is conceivable that the leadership of the principal plays a significant role in promoting a positive image of the school. The aim of the study is to examine the importance of projecting a good image of a school and roles of the principal to accomplish this objective. This study utilised qualitative descriptive method. The data collected from observations, reports, literature, and documents. The results show that promoting a positive image for school, as a market-oriented activity, requires the principal to exercise highly-developed public relation skills. They need to have more interaction with the external community to promote the school, attract students as well as retain them. The study concludes that promoting a positive school image is a business-like effort in which school management should adapt some marketing approaches. Principal-s role is a pivotal point in projecting a good image. The leadership of the principal is a key factor in gauging public opinion that contributes to the image of the school.
Keywords: school image; school promotion; principal.
Topic: Global Issues in Education and Research