Study on the Relationship between the Board of Directors and Principals in Private Schools: Governance Structure, Interaction Mechanism, and Support-Supervision

Abstract

This paper focuses on the core issue of private school governance, systematically explores the coupling relationship between the governance structure of the board of directors and principals’ leadership, conducts an in-depth analysis of the operational logic of their interaction mechanism, and examines the impact path of the board’s balance between resource support and supervision of principals’ work on the sustainable development of schools. By integrating the methods of literature review, multiple case comparison, and questionnaire survey, this study selects 6 private schools at different educational levels from the eastern, central, and western regions of China as research samples. Through in-depth interviews, on-site observations, and data analysis, it reveals how the differences in the allocation of principals’ decision-making power under different governance models affect leadership effectiveness, as well as the mechanism by which efficient interaction mechanisms optimize school management processes and improve educational quality. The study finds that: 1) a decentralized governance structure is more effective in stimulating principals’ innovative management capabilities; 2) high-frequency, multi-channel formal and informal interactions can significantly reduce governance costs; 3) a dynamic balance mechanism featuring "support as the mainstay and supervision as a supplement" is the key to ensuring effective school governance. The conclusions of this paper can provide theoretical references and practical paradigms for private schools to improve their governance systems and enhance the quality of school-running.