The Role of Principal in Improvement of School Performance: A Qualitative Study in Community School of Nepal

This study aims to explore the role of the principal's leadership in the improvement of school performance in community schools and to identify the major challenges faced by principals of community schools while improving school performance. A qualitative approach and phenomenology research design was used in this study. Interview and Focus Group Discussions schedule were used to collect data from the field, 5 principals were the respondents for interview and 20 principals of different community schools were involved in focused group. The data were analyzed using qualitative data management software Atlas ti. The determination and taking self-initiative is a crucial role for community school principals to maintain school enrollments, education quality, and collecting funds for school performance. Principals have adopted several noticeable strategies to increase education quality. Some of the ways and means adopted by the successful schools are maintaining constant discipline in school encouraging students and teachers by rewards and appreciation, consistent observing and supervision of class conduction, student attendance and teacher's consistency, coaching classes for feeble and interested students, parent-teacher communication, contests and competitions between the cluster and individual. Every principal faces some of the biggest frustrations to control student behavior, recruiting teachers and cooperation between staff, promote personalized learning, improve the teaching and learning environment, student retention, and parents' support in the improvement of the school. The study further recommended that principals and teachers should be given sufficient training to improve the school's performance.