REVIEW OF PARENTS’ PERCEPTIONS IN RELATION WITH SCHOOL IMAGE

In this study the criteria that are included in parents’ perceptions in relation with school image were examined using qualitative method. accordingly, in the light of the parents’ views regarding school image, this study is sought to answer the questions of which image factors parents mention regarding the school, which factors should schools take into account in the process of developing and managing their images and which school image factors parents’ particularly focus on. to this end, qualitative method was preferred, direct face-to-face interviews were carried out with two study groups including ten participants for each and content analyses were undertaken. as the findings did not support the two hypotheses put forward, it was observed that the parents’ awareness and expectations regarding school image factors were low. in the light of the findings, it was found out that parents especially focus on image factors such as “physical conditions” and “quality factor” which includes academic success. as a result, it was found out that apart from managing the school it is necessary for an educational leader to manage the school’s image. moreover, the idea that school image management is one of the school manager’s areas of responsibility was put forward and a viewpoint was introduced regarding the things can be done for that issue. therefore, both results that are believed to support parents’ level of awareness regarding the issue were obtained and a program design regarding the criteria schools can take into account to form and develop their images was suggested.