School-Based Management and School Effectiveness: A Conceptual Framework of Decentralized Governance and Leadership Capacity

บทคัดย่อ

School-based management (SBM) has gained attention as a governance reform strategy for enhancing school autonomy, stakeholder engagement, accountability, and responsiveness to local needs. However, evidence regarding its impact on school effectiveness remains mixed, particularly when decentralization is treated merely as an administrative transfer of authority rather than a capacity-building process. This conceptual academic article aims to synthesize the relationship between SBM and school effectiveness and to propose a conceptual framework explaining how decentralized governance and leadership capacity contribute to effective school development. Methodologically, the article employs a conceptual synthesis approach informed by an integrative review of selected literature on school-based management, effective schools, school leadership, stakeholder participation, organizational learning, and organizational effectiveness. The synthesis identifies three interrelated dimensions: decentralized governance, leadership capacity, and organizational effectiveness. The article argues that SBM can enhance school effectiveness when school-level decision-making authority is supported by capable leadership, transparent accountability, collaborative participation, responsible resource management, and continuous improvement processes. The proposed framework positions leadership capacity as an enabling mechanism that translates decentralization into instructional, organizational, and community-level outcomes. The article recommends that SBM policy should move beyond structural decentralization by investing in leadership development, participatory accountability systems, transparent resource management, and school-level capacity building.