School-based management developments and partnership: Evidence from Indonesia

School-based management (SBM) with devolution of authority and responsibility to school level decision-makers has become the most prominent feature of public school management systems in most countries around the world. This article provides the global trends and current developments in SBM in Indonesia with an emphasis on how SBM has created partnership and participatory decision-making processes in school level. The data reported here are on the basis of an empirical survey involving 504 school council members from Ngada Flores followed by 42 interviews with all relevant stakeholders.

► Indonesia has developed school-based management (SBM) since 2001.
► The SBM developments were aimed at improving national education quality.
► The SBM policies and programs have resulted in creating partnership in schools.