A case study on the structure and functioning of project schools

The aim of this research in particular is to describe the effect of "building their own team" practice in project schools on principals and teachers using a case study. In general, the study describes whether this practice might result in a paradigm-shift in school administration. The study has used case study method of qualitative research. The participants are selected using purposeful sampling method. The participants were administrators and teachers from two different schools in the city of Gaziantep; an Anatolian Religious Vocational High School which was transformed into a project school in 2014, and a Science High School. The participants included 4 administrators and 14 teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interview forms. The data were analyzed by implementing content and descriptive analysis methods. The results show that the advantageous aspects of the structure and functioning model of the Project Schools are more compared to the disadvantageous aspects and it was concluded that this new school management model is sustainable. The results suggest that the administrators' authority to create their own team has positive effects on the teachers since the sense of "team" is established. It also resulted in the use of initiative in the teaching process that resulted in higher level of personal and professional satisfaction. It also increased student demand for Project Schools as it seemed to positively impact the school's educational success. Suggestions are given at the end of the study for researchers and practitioners based on research findings. Keywords: School-based management, innovation, participation, project schools, decentralization.