Deepening stakeholders' committment for better schools: a Philippine case-study

This article examines the impact of implementing participatory school administration, leadership and management (PSALM) as a model of school-based management, on the commitment levels of Advisory School Council (ASC) members in Philippine public secondary schools. Complementing the experimental method with two empirical surveys, documentary analysis and interviews, this study involved 76 secondary schools in one of the 185 school divisions in the Philippines. Results of analyzing quantitative and qualitative data revealed that after one year of implementing PSALM, the experimental group had higher levels of commitment, compared with the control group. The experimental group perceived the ASC operation in their schools as effective. Significant factors that affected the development of the stakeholders' commitment to school improvement have been identified. This research indicates that the Philippines should expedite the process of establishing school councils in the public schools