The effect of administrative actions on satisfaction of primary and secondary public school principals

The quality and efficiency of Educational Administration affect the smooth operation of public schools. The aim of this study is to record the perceptions of school principals, who are the main customers of Educational Directorates in order to improve the quality of the provided services. The theoretical framework attempts to describe the prevalent view that the provision of qualitative and effective administrative support to schools can contribute to school smooth operation and school staff satisfaction in order to focus on educational services, rather than on administrative problems and restrictions. The administrative factors under investigation are the mode of administration, the efficiency of procedures, ICT skill enhancement and employees' performance, technological modernization efforts, and customer participation in decision-making. The study examines how these variables, affect the level of satisfaction of school principals. The regression analysis and the maximum frequency of answers within the rating range of the six-level Likert scale are used. The primary data was obtained by using an electronic questionnaire (through google forms) which allows for the use of econometric techniques. The school principals of the Primary and Secondary Directorates of Education in Eastern Thessaloniki comprise the research field. The results of the analysis show that Administrative factors have a major impact and summatively affect customer satisfaction. Current demands render the function of education more complex since it is asked to move beyond the simple experiential approach of administrative action that was based on the experience of older members of staff and to combine it with knowledge and skills on developments of  New Public Management. A management system that valorizes technology and human resources, develops mechanisms for open communication and dialogue and examines the views of the users of services in an organized manner is considered to be essential.