Collaborative Action Professional Development of School Principals

The professional development of school principals is not only crucial to the reform agenda but also a matter of national concern and part of the strategic plan of the Thailand Ministry of Education. Therefore policy educational institutions and related organizations are required to form strong collaborative teams within schools in order to widely develop schools and community networking. The aim of this study is to investigate collaborative action for the professional development of school principals. This collaborative action involves three parties composed of universities, the Office of Educational Service Area and its schools and communities. The timeframe of this study was two years and included four phases. The first phase consisted of a contextual study and model construction, followed by the model verification in the second phase. The third phase involved the development of programme assessment tools and preparation of supplementary learning documents. Finally, an evaluation of the implemented programme was carried out in the last phase. Results revealed that the majority of school principals are satisfied with the training and learning process. Hence they have improved their knowledge skills and competencies in management. Consequently, they developed quality projects for their schools by using action research, strategic planning and instructional leadership. In conclusion, an effective model of collaborative action is multi-dimensional involving needs assessment, goal setting, empowerment, self-study, intensive seminars, action research and programme evaluation.