SCHOOL HEADS STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DISTRICT OF TRECE MARTIRES, CAVITE: BASIS FOR SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE
Keywords:
Strategic Leadership, School Improvement Planning, Educational Governance, School-Based Management, Continuous School ImprovementAbstract
This study evaluated the relationship between school heads' strategic leadership practices and the implementation of School Improvement Planning (SIP) in public elementary schools in the District of Trece Martires City, Cavite, Philippines, and served as the empirical foundation for a proposed Sustainability Initiative Program. Utilizing a quantitative descriptive-comparative-correlational research design, data were gathered from 521 respondents, comprising 16 school heads (100% enumeration), 16 SIP coordinators (100% enumeration), and 489 teachers (55.4% stratified random sample) using an expert-validated, highly reliable instrument (\alpha = 0.930). Descriptive findings revealed that school heads demonstrated a "Highly Evident" level of strategic leadership overall (WM = 4.62), with Visionary Leadership scoring highest (WM = 4.62) and Resource Management receiving the lowest evaluation (WM = 4.53). One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated no statistically significant differences in leadership assessments across the three respondent groups (p > 0.05), demonstrating a shared institutional perception. SIP implementation was evaluated as "Highly Evident" overall (WM = 4.29), led by the Implementation of Improvement Strategies (WM = 4.35), though SIP Coordinators evaluated overall implementation lower (WM = 4.16) than principals (WM = 4.37) and teachers (WM = 4.34). Pearson product-moment correlation analysis revealed statistically significant, very high to high positive correlations between all strategic leadership dimensions and SIP implementation domains (r = 0.741 to 0.918, p = 0.001), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Resource inadequacy for technology integration (WM = 3.57) and program sustainability (WM = 3.42) emerged as the primary operational challenges. To address these structural bottlenecks, an 18-program Sustainability Initiative for Fiscal Year 2027 was formulated and evaluated as "Highly Acceptable" (WM = 4.44).
References
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Department of Education. (2015). DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2015: Guidelines on the enhanced school improvement planning (SIP) process and the school report card (SRC). Department of Education. https://www.deped.gov.ph
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