The Challenges of Involvement School Parent

and Community to Improve Elementary Education Quality

Fadhillah

, Putry Julia

, Nurhattati Fuad

, Rugaiyah

Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Universitas Serambi Mekkah, Imum Lueng Bata Street, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Postgraduate of Education, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia

Keywords: Involvement, School Community, Parents, Quality Education, Challenges.

Abstract: This article aims to finding new concept about strategy improving involvement people in education. This

research using survey method. The subjects in this study were school committee members, principals, and

teachers at Elementary School in Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia. Data were collected through interviews,

and questionnaires distributed through seminar and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The results, firstly,

some school principals, teachers, and school committees have not fully understood the position, function,

and role of school committees. Secondly, the management of school committees is still largely perceived as

a formality and functioned only as a fundraiser to finance school physical programs. Third, the school

committee still unable to partner with the school. Fourth, the student’s parents need the speed and accuracy

of the information, a coordination line. Based on the findings of the problems analyzed with SWOC, found

the following strategies (1) improving the understanding of the school committee’s on the position, role, and

function (2) Improving and assist in capacity building of school committee organization. (3) Forming a

professional forum focusing on improving the performance of the school committee (4) designing

information media about the fulfillment of school needs (5) Conducting guidance on the performance of the

school committee.

1 INTRODUCTION

School as one of educational organization which the

existence cannot be separated from the society

participation in realizing vision, mission and its

goals. The establishment of the school committee is

one of step to involve the society. According to

Government Regulation Number 75 of 2016 school

committee is independent institution consisting of

parent/guardian of the learner, school community,

and socialite who care about education.

School committee is a refinement and expansion

of partnership agency and communication between

school and society. The organization of school

committee has become a global concern, each

country has a policy that regulates the participation

of society in education. Some terms of school

committee, according to (warul walidin, 2017)

Different countries, as described below, Malaysia

calls the term committee as a school committee,

Singapore calls it the parents' committee, the USA

calls it the Sommerville School Committee, Newton

Public School, Northbridge Public School, and

Canada calls it the School Council.

School committee is independent institutions

consisting of parents/guardians of learners, school

communities, and socialite who care about

education. (Ministry of Education and Culture,

2016). Society in school level are parent or called

parent involvement in educational activity at school,

one of school-based management indicators were

successfully implemented at the school. School

committee is a refinement and expansion of

partnership agency and communication between

school and society. One of communication form

between school and society is the establishment of a

school committee program in the form of

activitiy/action to develop the quality of education

service in the school. Through this action reflected

the performance that has been executed. The

performance becomes good or bad, influenced by

several factors. Mullins designed the framework for

the study of job satisfaction and work performance,

influenced by many factors.

114

Fadhillah, ., Julia, P., Fuad, N. and Rugaiyah, .

The Challenges of Involvement School Parent and Community to Improve Elementary Education Quality.

DOI: 10.5220/0009017400002297

In Proceedings of the Borneo International Conference on Education and Social Sciences (BICESS 2018), pages 114-121

ISBN: 978-989-758-470-1

Figure 1. The framework of job Satisfaction Study and

Work Performance. (Mullins, 2005)

Based on the framework above, it was found that

job satisfaction and work performance were

influenced by several factors, these are (1)

individual factor, (2) organizational factor, (3) social

factor, (4) cultural factor, and (5) environmental

factor. It can also be influenced by certain factors

that more specific such as Information

Communications Technology (ICT), stress at the

workplace, organizational work and job design

employee individually, contextual factor and so on.

The performance of school committees on

improving the quality of education service, based on

research findings has shown varying results. A

number of researchers have found that school

committee has played a role well, while other

researchers have found that school committees have

not been able to play well. The performance of the

school committee as a controlling agency is good

enough, the monitoring is carried out passively

through a report given by the principal. The

performance of the school committee as an operator

is also quite good, but the operator between the

school committee and the education council has not

been implemented. (Sulasmono, 2017). To answer

the problem above, an approach is needed that can

produce an effective strategy for improving the

performance of school committee.

A strategy is a general approach that has long-

term. (Suriansyah, 2015). One of the strategies that

must be built is through synergy.

The synergy of schools, parents, and the

community is expected to be applied in improving

the quality of education, especially in shaping

generation that has a character in accordance with

the aims of Indonesian education. Some of the basic

principles in character education are cohesiveness,

continuity, and synchronization in which all parties

jointly make it happen. The strategy used by parent

and society through effective communication,

reciprocity with the school and effective partnership

that are mutually beneficial, needed, and equitable

between parent and society with school.

(Suriansyah, 2015).

Based on the findings of some studies above,

required an effective strategy model to establish

school synergy, school committee, and society. The

problem is how to improve the performance of

school committee to be effective through society

participation. To produce a strategy in improving the

performance of school committee to be effective

necessary an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities, and challenges of the school

committee's organization is further developed in the

form of strategic planning, and incorporated into the

draft of society participation model for improving

the performance of the school committee.

2 METHODOLOGY

In order to analyses about challenges the parents'

and school community involvement in Elementary

Education, two types of research methods for data

collection and analysis will be integrated: the

quantitative method, where the data will be collected

using standardised questionnaires by SWOC

analysis based on Government Regulation Number

75 of 2016 school committee, and the qualitative

method, where in-depth interviews will be

individually performed. Thus, in this study we will

use a mixed methodology, namely quantitative

methods and the qualitative methods.

2.1 Instrument and Participant.

In this mixed study, we aim to use instruments

specific to each type of method, i.e. for the

quantitative part, we will use standardised

The Challenges of Involvement School Parent and Community to Improve Elementary Education Quality

115

questionnaires to four elementary school for

committee organization school in each school. and

for the qualitative part, we will use in-depth

interviews and focus group discussion.

The aim behind the usage of the in-depth interviews

is to examine other people's experience in regards to

the investigated variables

2.2 Participant

A number of 20 parents, in each school consist of 5

school committee and school community consist of

teachers, headmaster, education council,

businessmen, community leaders, village heads, and

ordinary community representatives The interviews

and questionnaires will include representative all of

them. The researcher will individually interview 20

school committee and representative of all school

community. The school will be selected based on

partner school of Universitas Serambi Mekkah.

The results of the study show the analysis of

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges

of the school committee, which are then visualized

on the draft concept of society participation model

for improving school committee performance.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 SWOC Analysis Results

The tool used in constructing the strategic factors of

an organization is the SWOC matrix. This matrix

describes how the opportunities and challenges

faced by the organization can be customized to its

strengths and weaknesses.

The results of process field data analyzed based

on the SWOC matrix found a map of strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities, and threat from school

committee performance.

3.1.1 Strengths

The strengths of the school committee's organization

at Banda Aceh Elementary School are as follows:

(1) Availability of facilities for school committee in

school, (2) Having strong legal aspect, (3) Gaining

support from government and education observer,

(4) Have clear positioning as a provider of

consideration, support, controller and mediator

between government and society, (5) Institutional

and financial independence, (6) Position parallel to

the principal, referred as a school partner.

3.1.2 Weaknesses

The weaknesses of the school committee’s

organization at Banda Aceh elementary schools are

as follows: (1) school's members lack understanding

security of the about the position, role and function

of school committee, (2) school committee has

limited time to involving in school, (3) the lacking

capacity of the school committee and synergy

among members of education observer as school

committee administrator (4) the performance of the

school committee collided with the President’s

Regulation number 87 of 2016 about the sweeping

of illegal charge, (5) the empowerment of school

committee’s organization is not maximized, (6) )

communication between school and school

committee held only if schools need by inviting to

the meeting, (7) communication among school

committee and students’ parent of in school has not

spread evenly, (8) the process of selecting school

committee not fully in accordance with Ministerial

Regulation of Education and Culture number 75 of

2016 about school committee.

3.1.3 Opportunity

Opportunity that can be a reference become the

strengths of school committee’s organization in

Banda Aceh Primary School as follows: (1) Ministry

of Education and Culture Regulation number 75 of

2016 about school committee and Ministerial

Regulation of Education and Culture number 28 of

2016 about quality assurance system of elementary

and secondary education, ( 2) increased the need of

training on school committee performance, (3)

school committee need to improve their welfare

through the establishment of regulation, (4)

opportunity to cooperate with educational council,

education office, and other stakeholders; (5) the

number of resources untapped productively, (6) the

number of cost resources such as CSR funds and

others that can be utilized through cooperative

relation.

3.1.4 Challenge

Challenge faced by the school committee’s

organization at Banda Aceh Elementary School are

as follows: (1) Demands from School-Based

Management about changing based on agreement,

commitment, awareness. Readiness to build a new

culture and professionalism, (2) the present of

school committee is considered only a formality, (3)

realizing "school community" that has a loyalty on

improving school quality, (4) creating a compact and

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synergistic of school society, (5) Cooperate with the

society (individual/organization/business/industry)

and government (6) Collecting and analyzing the

aspiration, idea, demand, and various educational

needs proposed by the society. which can be utilized

through cooperative relationship

Based on SWOC analysis obtained, then

arranged strategy as follows:

Table 1. The framework of SWOC analysis standard.

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities S-O Strategy W-O Strategy

Challenges S-C Strategy W-C Strategy

Source :(Freddy Rangkuti, 2017)

S-O Strategy is a strategy that is structured by

using all the strengths to seize the opportunity. W-O

strategy is strategies that are structured by

minimizing the weaknesses to utilize of existing

opportunity. S-C strategy is strategy that is

structured by using all the strengths to face

challenges. W-C strategy is strategy arranged by

minimizing weaknesses to face challenges.

Planning of strategy that has been compiled

based on the Framework of SWOC analysis

standard, formulated into three aspects namely input,

process, and output.

Aspects of Input strategies planned as follows:

1. Arrange an organization/ school committee

forum independently and professionally at sub-

district, district, province, and national levels.

2. The school committee information system is

designed in an open, transparent, reliable and

accountable embedded by the school committee

forum.

3. School committee forum is responsible for

guiding and teaching the new school committee

so that there is a transfer of knowledge about

the performance of the school committee.

4. Committee’s organization requires a program

on capacity building of school committee’s

organization, arranging program plan,

increasing the understanding of position, role,

and function of the school committee.

5. The School is required to involve parent

participation starting from registration of new

students by making a contract between school

and parent.

6. The school needs to explore school resources

through good communication with the school

committee and parent starting from recruiting

new students.

7. Increasing society awareness about the quality

of education, through the socialization of

quality by making decorations, display board,

announcement, wall painting that has quality.

8. Establish a school committee performance

program, and conduct a regular meeting to

control and assurance a quality on the

implementation of education in school.

Aspects of strategy process are planned as follows:

1. School committees improve communication

with government, education council and

education observer through regular meetings

organized by school committee forum.

2. The government conducts training of motivation

improvement, participation awareness of parent

and society in school, training of organizational

capacity building, creating an article of

Association (AD / ART), and school committee

work program.

3. School committee forum cooperate with society

and mediate society with a school to assist

school needs openly, transparent and

accountable.

4. Socialization is needed for school society,

especially school committee on differences in

charge, donation and how to manage the cost of

the school committee.

To improve communication among school,

school committee, parent of the student, and

society through changing the organizational

structure of school committees and through the

flowchart.

6. To improve communication among school -

school committee - parent of the student in

planning, socializing, conducting, and

evaluating school program.

7. School is a social system that must be

developed through a process of "self-renewal

capacity" to respond the demands of

stakeholders on the quality of education.

8. The formulation of policies, decision making,

and problem-solving in school would effective

if done by whom they have skill, interest and

engaged in the daily work.

9. To increase the awareness that school

committee is independent, and protected from

other organization which serves as a link

between school and society.

10. Establish a structure of organization committee

that can coordinate with the parent of the

student in each class through the selection of

class coordinator as a form of the

communication network and coordinate

committee management with the parent.

Optimizing the implementation of school-based

The Challenges of Involvement School Parent and Community to Improve Elementary Education Quality

117

management by increasing the capacity of the

principal as a driver of all school members

participation.

11. To increase the capacity of school committee

resources through synergy built among school-

committee-society.

Aspects of Output Strategy is planned as follows:

Establishment of society synergy through the

forum of the school committee of sub-

district/district/province/national school committee-

administrator of the school committee in schools.

1. The synergy among different society related to

the establishment of the school committee's

membership, facilitated by the school

committee forum (administrator forum of

school committee based on Ministry of

Education and Culture Regulation number 75 of

2016 on school committee) which provides

advice and recommendations for school to

cooperate with stakeholder of school committee

forum.,

2. Increase the capacity of school principal and

teachers as a professional staff with special

skills and professional experience in school

management and learning. Professional staff in

the school are people who have the authority of

professional autonomy.

Determination of strategy based on SWOC

analysis is categorized into three aspects, namely

input, process, and output above, researchers/writers

formulate as follows: Aspect of Strategy Input more

focused on the internal evaluation of school

committee’s organization by utilizing professional

organization to conduct coaching and training to

members and school committee’s organization.

Improving communication through the openness of

information system, so that awareness and

motivation of the society can be increased. Aspects

of Strategy Process, focusing on improving the

internal communication of school and externally

with out of school. Coaching and training by

empowering professional institution of education

observers, so that synergy of school, parents, and

society can be realized. Aspects of strategy output,

including the establishment of society synergy-

district/province/national school committee forums-

school committee administrator in schools. The

synergy among the society of three aspects

mentioned above is determined based on the

findings of the SWOC analysis that the performance

of the school committee, starting from input,

process, and output aspects are categorized as good

and needs improvement.

In accordance with the analysis of the study, it is

necessary to improve the overall performance of the

school committee from the input, process and output

stage. Through this research, one of the draft models

developed based on the findings of the problem and

required improvement includes improvements to the

input, process and output stages. This model was

developed based on Ministry of Education and

Culture Regulation number 75 of 2016 about the

school committee. The policy states that the

supervisor of all school committees is regent/mayor,

sub-district head, village head in accordance with

their working areas. School committee administrator

is appointed by the school principal, and execute

their function and task through coordination and

consultation with province/district education

council, province/district education department, and

other stakeholders. Furthermore, school committee

performs the function and task coordinate with the

school related. Based on the explanation, the

researcher/writer visualizes in the following way:

Figure 2. Coordination and consultation with school

committee in accordance Ministry of Education and

Culture Regulation number 75 of 2016

The model of society participation in improving

school committee performance based on Ministry of

Education and Culture Regulation number 75 of

2016 still found obstacles in coordination and

consultation by the school committee. It required

active participation from school committee to

coordinate and consult with the group mentioned

above, while school committee only coordinates

with the school.

The statement is supported by the research

findings (Sulasmono, 2017), stated that the

performance of school committee as the operator is

quite good, but the operator between the school

committee and education council has not been

implemented. Finally, the researchers drew the

conclusion that the problem of coordination and

consultation is the findings of this research, so it

takes a model of community participation to

facilitate communication with the aim of the

community to be easily involved in the process of

implementing education in schools.

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Based on SWOC analysis results, stated that the

active participation of school committee is low, most

committees play a passive role in school activities.

This is a fundamental concern that needs to be

explored.

The performance of school committee as overall

needs the process of improvement starting from

input, process and output stages. One of the draft

models developed through this research, including

the improvement from input, process and output

stages. This model was developed from government

policy number 75 of 2016 on the school committee.

The administrator of school committee carried out

the function and duty through coordination and

consultation with education council of

province/district, the education department of

province/district, and other stakeholders, and school

committee coordinate with the school related.

Coordination and consultation with the parties

outside school need to be evaluated since the

research findings require coaching, training,

socialization to the school committee and school in

improving the capacity building of each institution.

Schools still have difficulties in formulating work

program involving school committee and society,

most of the work program implemented is not based

on vision and mission, so that affected on the

ineffective of society participation, parents

involvement in education. In addition, school

committee is also not optimal in implementing the

organization.

Based on the findings described above,

empirically found: first, some school principals,

teachers, and school committees have not fully

understood the position, function, and role of school

committee affected by the lack of participation in

school committee. Second, the management of

school committee largely perceived only as a

formality without planning a program arranged

jointly between school and school committee, so the

school committee being passive by waiting for the

announcement of meeting from the school principal.

School committee functioned only as fund-raiser, to

charge the school physical program and rather than

the non-physical program. Third, the school

committee as an independent institution but still

unable to coordinate and consult with school,

education council, education department due to time

constraints, cost, knowledge, network, and insight.

Fourth, in fact, that the parent of student needs the

speed and accuracy of information, with the number

of parents who are unreachable if contacted one by

one, so that necessary the coordination among

school, school committee and class coordinator

represented by one of the students' parent.

Based on the problem above, emerged thought of

researchers/writers on the coordination innovation

model visualized as follows:

Figure 3. Coordination and consultation with school

committee in internal school.

The figure above visualized that education

council, education department, other stakeholders

are synergistically conducted a coaching, training,

socialization to school committee and school in

improving the capacity building of each institutions,

so that through this coaching established a similar

vision in achieving a goal, centrally, starting from

the stage of planning, implementing, controlling and

evaluating with the goal to establish a quality culture

in school organization and school committee.

Internally school and school committee required

embracing all parents of students to work together in

achieving the educational goal. In fact, the

information that school delivered through the

administrator of school committee does not spread

evenly, and needs an additional time for the

information to be received. In addition,

communication form seems ineffective because each

of teachers has to serve every question of the

students' parents almost at the same time. Therefore,

required a model of coordination among school

(principal, teachers), school committee, and parents

described as follows:

Figure 4. Conceptual study of school communication,

school committee, and society.

The figure above visualized that school

communication in internal should be planned

The Challenges of Involvement School Parent and Community to Improve Elementary Education Quality

119

systematically so that coordination, speed, and

accuracy of information can be received effectively

and efficient. In addition, the local society should

also be involved in coordination to increase

awareness and participation of society and affected

by the changes in the society.

Furthermore, to improve the performance of

school committee effectively in arranging should be

planned systematically, so that the researchers can

draw the thought empirically through the draft

model.

3.2 Discussion

Determination of strategy based on SWOC analysis

is categorized into three aspects, namely input,

process, and output. Aspects of Input Strategy

focused more on the internal evaluation of school

committee organization by utilizing professional

organization to conduct coaching and training on the

member and organization of school committee.

Improve communication through the openness of

information system, so that awareness and

motivation of the society can be increased. Aspects

of Strategy Process focused on improving internal

communication of school and externally with out of

school. Coaching and training by empowering

professional institution of education observer, so that

synergy of school, parent and society can be

realized. Aspects of Output Strategy, including the

establishment of society synergy-district/province/

national school committee forum - school committee

administrator in schools.

Synergy among society from SWOC analysis

that has been conducted found that the performance

of school committee, starting from aspects of input,

process, and output is categorized as quite good and

needed for the improvement. This is supported by

(Mustadi & Zubaidah, 2016) through the results of

the study can be concluded that (1) the antecedent

stage (input and planning) of respondents'

understanding of the design of the program

implementation of the school committee has not

been fully compatible with the standard with the

percentage 36%, (2) transaction stage of the

implementation of school committee program has

been implemented with good category (58%). (3)

Outcomes stage, evaluate the implementation of

school committee role to antecedent and transaction

stage is categorized sufficient (47%).

Implementation of the school committee program at

Kabupaten Bantul Elementary School has not

achieved 100% standard.

This required an improvement on the overall

performance of school committee from the input,

process and output stages. One of the draft models

developed through this research, including

improvement starting from input, process and output

stages. This model was developed from government

policy number 75 of 2016 on the school committee.

The policy mentioned that the supervisor of all

school committees is regent/mayor, sub-district

head, village head in accordance with their working

areas. School committee administrator is appointed

by the school principal, and execute their function

and task through coordination and consultation with

province/district education council, province/district

education department, and other stakeholders.

Furthermore, school committee performs the

function and task coordinate with the school related.

Based on the policy mentioned above, the

development of society participatory model in

improving the performance of school committee

needs to be explored more deeply.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The performance of the school committee of some

schools that have been studied in average is still

quite good. School committee participation only

when the school principal needs. Some school

principals, teachers, and school committees have not

fully understood the position, function, and role of

school committees. The management of school

committees is still largely perceived as a formality

and functioned only as a fundraiser to finance school

physical programs. The school committee as an

independent institution but still unable to partner

with the school due to time, cost, knowledge,

network, and insight so that a union organization

such as the school committee of Indonesia is

integrated at the city, provincial and national level.

In the real condition of the student’s parents need the

speed and accuracy of the information, a

coordination line between school, school committee,

and class coordinator is required. Based on the

findings of the problems analyzed with SWOC,

found the following strategies (1) improving the

understanding of school people, especially the

school committee on the position, role, and function

of the school committee. (2) Improving and assist in

capacity building of school committee organization.

(3) Forming a professional forum focusing on

improving the performance of the school committee

(4) designing information media about the

fulfillment of school needs (5) Conducting guidance

BICESS 2018 - Borneo International Conference On Education And Social

120

on the performance of the school committee so that

it can synergize with the school

Based on the conclusion above, there are several

suggestions as follows: recognizing the culture of

committee organization and the leadership type of

committee to facilitate inactivate committee

organization in school. Change the understanding of

school members that performance of committee is

only related to fundraising, whereas it can be in the

form of services. Strengthen the committee

organization through coaching, training provided by

related parties such as District Education Council,

education department, and college. The sustainable

training from the previous committee to the

subsequent committee on strengthening the capacity

of the organization through a professional institution

established that focuses on improving the

performance of school committee.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to the Ministry of Technology and Higher

Education who has provided research funding for the

Cooperation Research grant between University

(PKPT), then to the Borneo International Conference

committee on Education and Social Sciences and the

editorial of SCITEPRESS which has allowed this

article to be published after passing several repair

process so that it becomes feasible to read.

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