Research Articles

Six Core Areas of a School System

Recently, a lot is said and written about the state of education. The education policy, introduced with plenty of fan fare has received praises as well as criticism from all walks of life. Unfortunately, the history of educational policy making in our county does not carry much hope. We as a nation have witness numerous initiates, policies, and recommendations presented, discussed and then shelved. My experience of countries where good educational policies were developed and implemented tells a simple but effective principle: Good ideas that bring results are simple, but they are implemented effectively, have proper checks and balance and are closer to the hearts of the people.

Our educational system is in need of simple ideas that are practical. Such ideas when organized properly can shape a system. A system of education implemented with proper supervision will definitely bring results.

During my studies in the USA I took the idea of developing simple ideas in education seriously. This led to the development of concepts in education that are simple but effective. Over the years, from these simple statements emerged complete systems for the development of education. In last five years I had the opportunity to implement some of these ideas at various institutions. The results are encouraging. Here is one of those ideas that can be equally useful for school administrations as well as parents. School administration can use these ideas to uplift the state of education in their institutions, whereas parents can use these ideas to select the most suitable school for their children.

We have come to know the problem of education as the mother of all problems. We also know that the resources we have to tackle this problem are like trickling drops of water to fill an empty ocean. The solution lies with parents and school administrations. The empowerment and training of school administrations as well as better awareness of parents can help us rid the menaces of illiteracy. Strong leadership of a school that is ambitious and intelligence can lead a school towards better education. Similarly parents who are involved and informed can make a difference. The parent and school administration form the team that if well trained can solve the problems of education at all levels. So the most important development in education should focus parents and administration.

Now here is the concept: ‘School is like a Mini State’. This may sound like a simple statement but it carries a lot of weight. Different people play their roles in this state. The people involved in this mini-state are the school administrators, children, teachers, and parents, vendors who supply different materials and manual help. These people shape various departments of this Mini-State. To improve the educational standards, various departments of the school should be build.

Recognizing a school as ‘A Mini State’ was easy. Identifying its various departments was a long and tedious job. Over the years with the help of many colleagues, six most important ‘departments’ of the school were identified. These departments are now called the ‘Six Core Areas of a School System.’ These six core areas are:

The identification of Six Core Areas led to further division of each core area. Further research was done to develop strategies for the development of each division. It took more than four years to develop, revise and fine-tune this system of school management. The results are worth the effort put in the developmental process. Schools that have used this research have improved the standard of education without much outside help. Yearly planning for the school is done using these six core areas. Better teamwork among the school staff has developed. It has enabled teachers', administration and parents work together for betterment of the education.

The training program that evolved from the Six Core Areas research provides administrations the will and the way for educational excellence. Only school leaderships who tend to dream for excellence and are trained to do the right things to achieve those dreams can bring about a change. The research around Six Core Areas helps leadership dream and do. This is done by helping administrators and principals aim for excellence. Administrators learn to develop their own talent, rely on their own resource learn to seek information from the right sources and then implement it all for results.

Parents use it to select the right school for their children. Instead of getting confused parents can look for special features in each of the core areas of the school system. When visiting a school for purpose of admissions parent can confidently ask the management to tell them about the developments in each of these six core areas. For example parents should ask about properly documented administrative policies.

Concerning the core area of teachers you may like to know if there is a proper training schedule for teachers. To be more specific parent may ask when the last training for teachers was conducted and on which topic. To know about the curriculum parents may ask administration to tell them about how the curriculum was developed and what are the objectives that will be achieved through the school curriculum.

The way a school communicates with the parents tells a lot about the professionalism of the management. This topic comes in the core area of Parents. You may like to know how often school communicates with the parents and how. A school concerned for the education of the students must be doing something to educate the parents. That means workshops and sessions for parents. Ask the administration if they conduct any sessions to educate parents about the school system.

Building and resources relates to various laboratories, equipment and apparatus needed for proper education. Good school should have the right material used at the right times. You may like to know about the various laboratories, sport equipment and educational aids. Good teaching and learning aids can be made from scrap materials. Children should be involved in the making of teaching learning aids. Ask school if they involve parents for make any materials. A school encourages children to make good materials and then lets them display it at prominent places in school. You make like to look at the students’ work on display in the school.

The Islamic Architecture is known for its patterns. Yet at the heart of each pattern lies a simple line, a curve or a shape. An organized and systematic repetition of which evolves a beautiful design. It is the case with useful ideas. They are simple but they lead to effective systems that bring results. ‘School is a Mini State’ is that simple idea that led to the development of a complete system-Six Core Areas of School-that helps school become effective and organized.

By
Rayed Afzal
Executive Director
New Century Education