Navigating Excellence: The Interplay of Strategic Planning and Instructional Leadership Practices of Public-School Heads in the Schools Division of Quezon Province Towards Sustainable Model Development

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between strategic planning and instructional leadership practices among public-school heads in the Schools Division of Quezon Province and their contribution to sustainable school development. Using a descriptive-correlational design, data were collected through a modified survey questionnaire from 60 school heads and 200 teachers. Variables outside the direct influence of school leadership, including students’ socioeconomic backgrounds and district policies, were excluded to maintain a focused investigation. Findings showed that school heads extensively practiced strategic planning through goal setting, resource management, data-driven decision-making, stakeholder collaboration, and risk management. They also demonstrated a high level of instructional leadership in curriculum alignment, teacher support and supervision, collaborative teaching, student-centered leadership, and resource management. Significant differences emerged between school heads’ and teachers’ assessments of strategic planning, particularly in goal setting, resource management, and stakeholder collaboration. Their assessments of instructional leadership also differed significantly in curriculum leadership, teacher supervision, collaborative teaching, and student-centered leadership. Moreover, strategic planning and instructional leadership had a statistically significant positive but weak relationship, indicating that greater strategic planning engagement was associated with stronger instructional leadership. The study recommends expanding future investigations to other school divisions and employing mixed-methods approaches to explain stakeholder perceptual differences. Schools should strengthen communication, inclusive participation, and shared decision-making to improve stakeholder alignment. Comprehensive professional development should also enhance school heads’ competencies in strategic planning and instructional leadership. Policymakers should formulate guidelines that promote stakeholder involvement, reduce perceptual gaps, and ensure that leadership practices respond to the diverse needs of school communities.