School-based management: Catalyzing stakeholder engagement for enhanced educational quality in Bekasi.

BACKGROUND: Enhancing educational quality through participatory governance is a national priority in Indonesia's primary education sector. School-Based Management (SBM) provides a framework for decentralizing decision-making and strengthening accountability at the school level. Despite its adoption, the impact of SBM on educational equity and quality in rapidly developing regions such as Bekasi City remains underexplored. Understanding how SBM shapes teaching, learning, and stakeholder collaboration is essential for improving educational outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative study using realist ethnography was conducted in six purposively selected elementary schools. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with teachers, administrators, and parents, along with classroom observations and document analysis. The Context-Input-Process-Product (CIPP) evaluation model, proposed by Stufflebeam, structured the analysis by examining needs (context), resources (input), implementation strategies (process), and outcomes (product). Thematic coding identified patterns in implementation, resource use, and performance outcomes. RESULTS: Findings showed strong regulatory support and well-prepared human resources. Approximately 90% of evaluated programs met or exceeded national quality standards. SBM implementation improved student performance, attendance, and extracurricular participation, reflecting increased accountability at the school level. However, socio-economic disparities, limited infrastructure, and uneven resource distribution constrained consistent progress across schools. CONCLUSION: SBM fosters holistic educational improvement by promoting collaboration among teachers, parents, and communities. Sustainable institutionalization of SBM requires equitable resource allocation, continuous stakeholder engagement, and context-sensitive implementation. These findings highlight SBM's potential to strengthen educational quality, equity, and community development in Indonesia's primary education sector.