Determinants of Child-Friendly School Effectiveness: The Contribution of Participatory Leadership, Open Communication, and Character Education

The implementation of the Child-Friendly School (Sekolah Ramah Anak/SRA) policy frequently faces systemic hurdles, primarily being reduced to administrative formalities and physical compliance rather than transforming interpersonal dynamics and moral school culture. This study aims to examine the partial and simultaneous effects of participatory leadership, open communication, and character education on the effectiveness of the Child-Friendly School program in public elementary schools across Bringin District, Semarang Regency. Utilizing an explanatory quantitative survey design, empirical data were gathered through structured Likert-scale questionnaires administered to 100 educators selected via proportionate stratified random sampling. Multiple linear regression analysis was executed using IBM SPSS Statistics following the fulfillment of classical regression assumptions. The findings revealed that participatory leadership (t = 4.415, p < 0.05), open communication (t = 5.499, p < 0.05), and character education (t = 6.591, p < 0.05) each exerted a positive and statistically significant partial effect on program effectiveness. Notably, character education emerged as the most dominant predictor (β = 0.480). Simultaneously, the three independent variables significantly contributed to the model (F = 32.005, p < 0.05), accounting for 48.4% of the variance in SRA effectiveness (Adjusted R2 = 0.484). These results demonstrate that establishing a secure, non-violent, and inclusive educational ecosystem requires shifting from bureaucratic oversight toward collaborative governance, transparent feedback channels, and deep-seated moral habituation. Elementary school principals must prioritize democratic leadership that empowers teachers while embedding character cultivation as a collective cultural practice.