The Skill of Female Principal in School Management

(Multi Case Study in Public Junior High School 4 Waru and Al Falah Private Junior High School
Deltasari Sidoarjo)

This study aims to describe the skills of female principals in school management to increase
public trust in the leadership of female principals. The focus of this research is planning, organizing,
implementing, and monitoring. This study uses a qualitative approach with a multi-case study design.
Collection of data is done through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation studies.
Informants in this study are the principal, vice principal, teacher, school supervisor, students, and parents
of students. The obtained data is checked for the validity of the data including credibility, transferability,
dependability, and confirmation then to be analyzed. The research findings show that female principals
have high analytical skills, participatory and good communication skills in conducting school planning.
Organizing carried out includes creating an organizational structure with clear and capable division of
tasks and responsibilities. The school activities are carried out with a persuasive approach. Supervision of
school programs and learning processes is carried out professionally and objectively, and is able to
provide the best solutions according to the program plan.

Keywords: skills of principals, female principals, school management

In achieving the principal’s organizational goals as well as managers, the principal must have the
skills to carry out management functions. According to Schmuk (Bush and Coleman: 2010) most theories
only focus on the role of men in organizations. Empirical evidence arises that most women are able to
play a role in empowering others and being able to communicate with staff and students.

Bush and Coleman (2010), Davies and Wardena (Bush and Coleman: 2010) reveal that women
have a role in management and leadership in society, attention, concentration on and teamwork, not easily
satisfied with their work, don’t prioritize status, outgoing, democratic, artistic, meticulous, thorough,
feeling, and careful. Women identify themselves as participatory, consultative and delegate leaders.
Jirasinghe and Lyons (Bush and Coleman 2010).

According to Rogan and Brooker (Setyanudin: 2005) women as principals are able to convince
teachers, staff, and students to be motivated to work, learn to achieve school goals. This is also supported
by Shakeshaf (Bush and Coleman: 2010) that female principals understand differences between students,
have good relationships between superiors and subordinates, tend to make contact with superiors and
subordinates, teachers, and students, and play more roles as leaders education than managers.
 In order to improve the quality of schools, principals must understand the management of
schools. Planning is done so that the organization remains upright and advanced as a system and as the
first step in making decisions with various future-oriented alternatives (Pidarta: 2005, Nawawi: 2005,
Akdon: 2007). Organizing is a management function structure that includes a system of cooperation that
describes the main tasks and functions, as well as the work mechanism. The implementation function is
the implementation of a work plan in accordance with the annual work plan. Furthermore, the final step of
the management function is supervision which serves to improve the quality of education. School
supervision is done in order that violations become small (Barnawi and Arifin (2012). One of the
characteristics of women's leadership according to As Suwaidan and Basyarahil (2005) is participatory,
who always hold deliberations in decision making.

The research was conducted to describe and review Female Principal Skills in School
Management which included planning, organizing, implementing, and supervising schools in Public and
Private Junior Schools in Sidoarjo.

Research Methods

This study uses a qualitative approach with a multi-case study design. Data collection is done
through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation studies. The sampling technique used is
purposive sampling and snowball sampling. Informants in this study are the principal, vice principal,
teacher, school supervisor, students, and parents of students. The data obtained is checked for the validity
of the data including credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmation (Mertler: 2011).
Furthermore, data analysis is performed to systematically search and compile data (Sugiyono: 2009)
through data reduction, data display to data verification and conclusions. Considering that this study uses
a multi-case study design, the data analysis was carried out in two stages, namely analysis of individual
case data, and data analysis across cases

Research Results

Research Result in Public Junior High School 4 Waru, Sidoarjo.

Based on the results of data analysis, the female principal in conducting school planning involves
all school components. She has commitment and cooperation from all parties, so the planned program is
implemented and runs well. In organizing schools, she has understood the expertise of her staff, making it
easier to share responsibility and authority in empowering all staff to carry out their duties. As
implementing school programs, she carries out based on planning with reference to national education
standards and is able to empower all staff to get involved and helps implement program activities, and is
able to utilize facilities and infrastructure as supporting activities. School supervision is carried out
through evaluating learning and school programs based on 8 national education standards involving
representatives of school principals, teachers, students and parents of students.

Research Result in Al Falah Private Junior High School Deltasari, Sidoarjo

Based on the results of data analysis, the principal's planning was arranged by involving students,
teachers, parents of students, committees and the community. The principal has conceptual, innovative
and creative skills. In organizing, she makes a job description in the organizational structure and places
someone according to their expertise. The implementation of school activities is based on standards set by
external institutions, namely ISO that it can create effective and cooperative cooperation that can support
the implementation of a program. School supervision is carried out through program and learning
evaluation using ISO standards. In conducting supervision, she does it clearly and effectively and
schedules a period of time for all the person in charge of the activity to report on the implementation of
the program along with the constraints.

Discussion

Female Principal Skill in School Planning

In planning, the principal involves all components of the school. With the commitment and
cooperation of all parties, all planned programs have been implemented and runs well. Concerning on the
above, Pidarta (2005), Akdon (2007), and Nawawi (2005) suggest that planning decision making by
sorting and selecting alternative activities that will or will not be carried out, so efforts to achieve
organizational goals with future orientation through strategic and operational planning.

Female Principal Skill in Organizing School

Organizing carried out by female principal shows that the organization of schools, ranging from the
division of tasks, responsibilities and clear authority about the overall administration and administration
of the school runs well. In terms of organizing carried out by female principals in Public Junior High
School 4 Waru and Delta Al Falah Private Juniro High School sari Sidoarjo, and associated with the
opinion of Nawawi (2005), Akdon (2007), and Rivai et al (2010) that organizing is a management
function that is a system cooperation of structured group people based on their duties and functions
carried out by paying attention to specialization of work, departmentalization, span of control,
centralization and centralization, and formalization.
Female Principal Skill in School Activities Implementation

In carrying out school activities, the principal has carried out school activities properly which are
tailored to the planning of programs that have been made before and refer to the standards set by the
school and able to develop strategies, procedures, as well as techniques for implementing activities, and
being able to empower all of their staff to get involved and help implement the activity program.

This is as said by Akdon (2007) that the strategy is the translation of thoughts into operational
actions; therefore it needs a commitment as outlined in a policy in the form of regulations that underlie
the implementation of work for all work units under primarily in preparing Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP). This commitment is stated in policies which constitutes school guidelines,
organizational operational programs, and organizational activities.

Female Principal Skill in School Supervision

School supervision carried out includes supervision of learning and school programs by referring
to the 8 national education standards or standards set by the school. In conducting supervision, the
principal involves the vice principal, teachers, students, and parents of students. This is done to improve
the quality and professionalism of teachers. The above is the same as Akdon (2007) and Arifin statement
(2012) that supervision is a process to find out whether there is conformity or deviation that the
possibility of violations is small).

Conclusion

In this study, female principals have a high enough analytical ability and are visionary in planning
school programs, so that in making long-term and short-term programs, they consider opportunities and
social problems. Organizing carried out by female principals includes the creation of an organizational
structure accompanied by clear division of tasks and responsibilities. They are able to build relationships
with others, and empower all staff to carry out their duties in their fields. Besides, they are able to make
procedures and techniques for carrying out activities, so that all activities are carried out in accordance
with predetermined standards. In conducting school supervision, they are able to make surveillance
instruments that are used as a tool for evaluating and following up.