A New Paradigm in The Success of School Leadership through Family-School Partnership Strategies

The purpose of this research is to present a new paradigm for the success of schools through the development of family-school partnership.

The research approach is interpretive and qualitative, following the framework proposed by Edmonds & Kennedy (2017), utilizing a descriptive narrative strategy. The research was conducted in Kurdistan province, with potential participants including principals from primary, middle, and high schools in Sanandaj. Ultimately, 15 principals were purposefully selected (heterogeneous sampling) and invited to participate using an episodic interview protocol. The collected data were coded and analyzed using the thematic network method.

The findings regarding the first question revealed that the aspect of parenting (such as supervisory and supportive actions) represented the most common experience among principals, while community cooperation (acting as school ambassadors) was the least experienced. In addressing the second question, principals followed a hierarchical approach. They first believed that open-mindedness is crucial for school principals to listen to others' perspectives and engage in self-criticism. Subsequent steps included fostering an inclusive culture for all students to promote collective care and a peaceful environment, community-centered leadership to build mutual trust with parents and community members, and ultimately, creating a scholarly community to transform community members into drivers of learning, which are key strategies for enhancing family-school participation.

Paying attention to the different methods of interaction between the school and other institutions, especially the family, can provide different fields for the academic progress of students.