Whole School Approach for School Improvement

Abstract

The Whole School Approach (hereafter WSA) has emerged as one of the effective approaches for the holistic improvement of schools, creating a secure and meaningful learning environment through effective leadership, policy guidelines, continuous professional development, and improving teaching and learning involving all the stakeholders. This thematic review explores and presents an in-depth understanding of the WSA as a holistic and sustainable approach for school improvement. We reviewed articles and policy documents on WSA downloaded from databases and publishers like Scopus, Sage Publications, Routledge, Taylor and Francis, and other influential journals relating to school improvement. Likewise, dissertations from university databases and reports from well-acclaimed organizations in education and leadership were reviewed to explore the deeper layers of WSA and its implementation in whole-school improvement. The research emerged with five major themes relating to whole school improvement: school improvement framework, current trends in education, WSA and its core dimensions, implementation of WSA, benefits, and challenges. This research implies that policymakers, practitioners, and teacher educators focus on the multiple aspects of WSA, including teaching and learning, effective leadership, continuous professional development, community involvement, school-based policy guidelines, creating a positive school culture, monitoring and evaluation, and reflection on the improvement for overall school transformation.