<![CDATA[Improving school quality has become a strategic priority in enhancing educational outcomes, particularly in the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum, which requires effective curriculum management, adaptive school leadership, and highly motivated teachers. This study aims to analyze the influence of curriculum management, principal leadership, and teacher work motivation on school quality in State Senior High Schools in South Balikpapan District. A quantitative approach with an ex post facto design was employed involving 88 teachers from SMA Negeri 4 and SMA Negeri 5 South Balikpapan. Data were collected using validated and reliable questionnaires and analyzed using simple and multiple linear regression. The findings reveal that curriculum management, principal leadership, and teacher work motivation each have a positive and significant influence on school quality, while simultaneously explaining 54.7% of the variance in school quality, with teacher work motivation emerging as the strongest individual predictor. These findings indicate that improving school quality requires an integrated management approach that combines effective curriculum implementation, transformational school leadership, and strengthened teacher motivation. This study contributes to the educational management literature by providing empirical evidence on the complementary roles of these three factors and offers practical recommendations for schools and policymakers in designing sustainable strategies for improving educational quality.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
