Best Practices of Small Schools in Suphan Buri Province

Abstract

The  purposes of  this  research  were to 1) examine the current conditions, desirable conditions and priority needs for the administration of small-sized schools, 2) identify best practices of small-sized schools and, 3) explore the factors and conditions for successful administration of small-sized schools in Suphan Buri Province. The sample group for Objective 1 consisted of 226 administrators and teachers from small-sized schools under the Suphan Buri Primary Educational Service Area Office 3. Key informants for Objectives 2 and 3 included 12 participants, namely school administrators, teachers, school committee members, and experts in policies related to small-sized schools. Additionally, 5 experts, including administrators from the Suphan Buri Primary Educational Service Area Office 3 and educational supervisors, were involved in validating the research findings. The research instruments were
a questionnaire with an Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) of 0.67 and above, and a reliability coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha) of 0.98, as well as an interview form. The research findings revealed that:
1) The overall current conditions of school administration in small-sized schools in Suphan Buri Province were rated at a high level, while the desired state for these institutions is positioned at the highest level across all four functional areas. According to the Priority Needs Index (), the three dimensions with the highest requirement for development are (1) Personnel Administration, (2) Academic Administration, and (3) General Administration Which have an Priority Needs Index () of 0.132, 0.115, and 0.113, respectively. 2) The best practices of small-sized schools in Suphan Buri Province were as follows: (1) Academic administration: Schools should develop curricula aligned with community needs, implement active learning using technology, and conduct collegial supervision alongside peer coaching. (2) Personnel administration: Proactive workforce management should be applied, with task assignments based on staff competencies. Mentoring systems, job rotation, professional learning communities (PLC), and interest-based training should be implemented, along with fair performance evaluation. (3) Budget administration: Operational plans should align with policies and contexts, emphasizing cost-effectiveness. Budget allocation should be prioritized, managed flexibly with community participation, and regularly monitored, audited, and reported. (4) General administration: Schools should recruit personnel with management and technological skills to enhance efficiency in administrative work, ensure safety of facilities, promote environmental awareness, and encourage the use of renewable energy. and 3) The factors and conditions for successful administration of small-sized schools in Suphan Buri Province consisted of (1) factors and conditions related to school administrators and (2) factors and conditions related to personnel.