Abstract
Instructional leadership critically shapes teaching and learning within the various schools. These school heads, who play the basic role of instructional leadership, are expected to create a conducive environment that promotes teacher efficacy as well as students’ success. In many education systems, particularly in the Philippines, teachers’ performance is often subject to the leadership style and practices of their administrators. In this context, this study explored the relationship between school heads’ instructional leadership practices and teachers’ work performance in a district of Central Philippines during the 2024–2025 academic year. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, the study focused on three leadership dimensions: curriculum development and assessment, classroom management and inclusive learning environments, and professional development, coaching, and collaboration. Data were collected from 96 teachers using a validated and reliable survey instrument. Findings showed school heads demonstrated a very high level of instructional leadership, particularly in curriculum-related aspects. However, lower ratings were observed in coaching and use of data-driven strategies. Teachers exhibited high performance across demographic variables, and no significant relationship was found between instructional leadership and teacher performance. The study recommends targeted professional development programs be instituted for school heads, especially to improve their coaching and use of data-driven strategies. This will better place school leaders in supporting the continuous improvement of teachers in their instruction toward a more effective and responsive environment for learning.
Keywords: Instructional leadership, teacher performance, curriculum development, professional development, inclusive education