The Leadership of The School Principal in Improving Educational Quality at SMK Muhammadiyah 14 Siabu Mandailing Natal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56633/kaisa.v6i1.1400Keywords:
Leadership, Madrasa Principal, Educational QualityAbstract
The madrasa principal is a key element in the education system who plays a strategic role in improving the quality of education. In accordance with regulatory provisions, the principal is responsible for the implementation of educational activities, school administration, the development of educational personnel, as well as the management of facilities and infrastructure. Therefore, the principal is required to possess competencies as an educator, manager, administrator, supervisor, leader, innovator, motivator, and entrepreneur in order to effectively manage the institution. The quality of education itself serves as an indicator of institutional success, which is highly influenced by the quality of management. This study aims to examine the urgency of the principal’s leadership in improving educational quality, analyze the strategies implemented, and identify the leadership style applied. The research employs a descriptive qualitative approach, with data collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis is conducted through the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that the principal implements various strategies oriented toward improving educational quality through input, process, and output aspects. Furthermore, the leadership style applied tends to be democratic, as indicated by the involvement of various stakeholders in the decision-making process.
Keywords: Leadership, Madrasa Principal, Educational Quality
References
Adinda Julia Putri, & Makmur Syukri. (2024). The Role of Principal Leadership in Improving the Quality of Education at SMP Negeri 2 Kualuh Selatan, North Labuhan Batu Regency. Manajia: Journal of Education and Management, 2(3), 95–103. https://doi.org/10.58355/manajia.v2i3.56
Agus Santoso, Triana Hermawati, & Siti Wasfina Nur. (2020). PROBLEMATIKA MANAJEMEN PENDIDIKAN ISLAM (Telaah Input, Proses, dan Output Dalam Pendidikan Islam). At Turots: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2(2), 74–84. https://doi.org/10.51468/jpi.v2i2.40
Ahmad Rifai Siregar, Jodi Mahmud Siregar, Nadya Ramadhani, Nur Halimah Matondang, Arif Rahman, & Deny Setiawan. (2024). Exploration of The Principal’s Transformational Leadership Style In Increasing Teacher Motivation. Didaktika: Jurnal Kependidikan, 13(2), 1655–1662. https://doi.org/10.58230/27454312.708
Ahmad Sibaweh. (2024). Peran Kepemimpinan Kepala Madrasah dalam Optimalisasi Manajemen Pendidikan Agama Islam. EL Bidayah: Journal of Islamic Elementary Education, 6(2), 116–127. https://doi.org/10.33367/jiee.v6i2.6627
Akbar, M. A. (2024). TEACHER COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE EDUCATION QUALITY. Abjadia : International Journal of Education, 9(2), 408–418. https://doi.org/10.18860/abj.v9i2.28041
Amelia, A., & Siahaan, A. (2025). The Principal’s Leadership in Implementing Performance to Improve School Quality. Thawalib: Jurnal Kependidikan Islam, 6(1), 181–194. https://doi.org/10.54150/thawalib.v6i1.678
Angga, A., & Iskandar, S. (2022). Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah dalam Mewujudkan Merdeka Belajar di Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Basicedu, 6(3), 5295–5301. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i3.2918
Azfa Nabil Shafi, Hilalludin Hilalludin, & Adi Haironi. (2024). Pendidikan dan Pranata Sosial: Membentuk Masyarakat Masa Depan. Jurnal Nakula : Pusat Ilmu Pendidikan, Bahasa Dan Ilmu Sosial, 2(5), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.61132/nakula.v2i5.1038
Chasbullah, W., & Rindaningsih, I. (2024). THE ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL AS A ROLE MODEL IN DEVELOPING EDUCATOR AND EDUCATIONAL STAFF HUMAN RESOURCES. Academic Journal Research, 3(1), 19–29. https://doi.org/10.61796/acjoure.v3i1.259
Dianovi, A., Siregar, D., Mawaddah, I., & Suryaningsih, S. (2022). Guidance and Counselling in Education. World Psychology, 1(2), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.55849/wp.v1i2.95
Edwards, S. L. (2016). Narrative analysis: how students learn from stories of practice. Nurse Researcher, 23(3), 18–25. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.23.3.18.s5
Fatimah Azzahra Lubis, & Makmur Syukri. (2025). Principal’s Strategy to Improve Education Quality. Manajia: Journal of Education and Management, 3(1), 39–45. https://doi.org/10.58355/manajia.v3i1.77
Furidha, B. W. (2024). COMPREHENSION OF THE DESCRIPTIVE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE LITERATURE. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.56943/jmr.v2i4.443
Herlina, H. (2023). The Literature Review of Principal’s Supervision in Increasing Teacher’s Competence and Performance. PPSDP International Journal of Education, 2(2), 224–233. https://doi.org/10.59175/pijed.v2i2.88
Herlina, H., Arismunandar, A., & Tolla, I. (2024). Education Character in the Era of Globalization: Facing the Challenges of the Modern World. International Journal of Engineering, Science and Information Technology, 4(4), 230–236. https://doi.org/10.52088/ijesty.v4i4.649
Hidayat Sutisna, S., Rozak, A., & Renanda Saputra, W. (2023). Peran Kepala Sekolah dalam Meningkatkan Mutu Pendidikan Sekolah. JIIP - Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 6(9), 6895–6902. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v6i9.2718
Jannah, R., & Wahyuningsih, O. (2024). The Leadership Role of The School Principal in Effective Educational Management. Asian Journal of Engineering, Social and Health, 3(3), 663–668. https://doi.org/10.46799/ajesh.v3i3.282
Kempa, R., Sahalessy, A., & Matitaputty, J. (2025). Transforming Education: The Role of Transformational Leadership in Elevating High School Quality. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i3.7662
Krajewska, A. (2022). SELF-ASSESSMENT AND PEER ASSESSMENT ‒ DETERMINANT OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE PROCESS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES. Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Humanitas w Sosnowcu. Pedagogika, 1(25), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0016.0773
Kurniadiningsih, R. S., & Miftahuddin, M. (2025). School Principal Leadership in Developing Non-Academic Student Achievements. Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education, 4(4), 4096–4114. https://doi.org/10.56916/jirpe.v4i4.2641
Munawir Pohan, M. (2018). KEPALA SEKOLAH SEBAGAI MANAJER DAN PEMIMPIN PENDIDIKAN. ANSIRU PAI : Pengembangan Profesi Guru Pendidikan Agama Islam, 2(1), 82. https://doi.org/10.30821/ansiru.v2i1.1632
Nisa Utami, V. Q., Rusdinal, R., & Hadiyanto, H. (2023). Education Management Strategies to Face Challenges and Opportunities in The Digital Age. International Journal of Educational Dynamics, 6(1), 386–395. https://doi.org/10.24036/ijeds.v6i1.455
Pujiyati, W. (2020). STRENGTHENING OF SCHOOL QUALITY THROUGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP. International Journal of Educational Management and Innovation, 1(2), 151. https://doi.org/10.12928/ijemi.v1i2.1685
Roni Harsoyo. (2022). Teori Kepemimpinan Transformasional Bernard M. Bass dan Aplikasinya Dalam Peningkatan Mutu Lembaga Pendidikan Islam. Southeast Asian Journal of Islamic Education Management, 3(2), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.21154/sajiem.v3i2.112
Sanga, L. D., & Wangdra, Y. (2023). Pendidikan Adalah Faktor Penentu Daya Saing Bangsa. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Ilmu Sosial Dan Teknologi (SNISTEK), 5, 84–90. https://doi.org/10.33884/psnistek.v5i.8067
Sy, S. H. (2022). Urgensi Mutu pada Lembaga Pendidikan. Ideas: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, Dan Budaya, 8(3), 697. https://doi.org/10.32884/ideas.v8i3.841
Wahdini Siregar, Zainal Efendi Hasibuan, Sutarum, & Suyitno. (2025). PENTINGNYA MANAJEMEN STRATEGI DALAM MENINGKATKAN KUALITAS PENDIDIKAN. Ahsani Taqwim: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Keguruan, 2(2), 343–362. https://doi.org/10.63424/ahsanitaqwim.v2i2.281
Zahra Lahitania, & M. Imamul Muttaqin. (2024). Konsep dan Implementasi Kepemimpinan Pendidikan Efektif dalam Mewujudkan Sekolah Berprestasi. Ikhlas : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Islam, 2(1), 196–206. https://doi.org/10.61132/ikhlas.v2i1.315
Zulfahmi, Z., Putra, A. Y., & Fahmi, M. (2025). The Role of Principal Leadership in Improving Educational Quality: Insights from Indonesia. PPSDP International Journal of Education, 4(2), 568–573. https://doi.org/10.59175/pijed.v4i2.540
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Kasman Kasman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with Kaisa: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
