Teachers’ participation in strategic planning: a path for school planning success

Abstract

Schools in various parts of the world adopt plans for school quality improvement. Generally, schools’ improvement efforts are formalized into a school plan which is designed through a formal planning process. This planning process needs to be strategic and intentional, involving teachers and other school stakeholders. Both literature and policies reinforce the importance of teachers’ participation and involvement in making decisions and planning, indicating that strategic planning is a joint and collaborative process amongst those involved in strategic planning. Collaboration, indeed, seems to be a prerequisite both to the success of the planning process and successful implementation. However, it appears that opportunities and conditions for collaboration and participation in schools planning are still neglected and not being promoted. Research on how participation actually takes place is scarce. The present study aimed to discuss the role of teachers’ participation in schools’ decision making as one of the routes for effective strategic planning. Implications for teachers, school leaders, and schools’ practices are identified: participation and collaboration are challenging and must be intentionally promoted and supported; school leaders need to model expectations and behaviors for active involvement, offer time and spaces for collaborative work and value teachers and other stakeholders contributions; teachers must be compromised with school vision and improvement, taking an active role in it.