Navigating challenges: Principal’s leadership practices in fostering teachers’ grit and professional engagement.

This study investigated the influence of principals' leadership practices on teachers' grit and professional engagement in selected elementary schools in North Cotabato.Grounded in Maxwell's Five Levels of Leadership and Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory, the research sought to determine the perceived levels of principal leadership, teacher grit, and professional engagement, as well as the relationships among these variables.Using a descriptive-quantitative design, data were collected through standardized survey instruments from 200 teachers and 8 principals.Results revealed that principals generally exhibited high levels of leadership practices, particularly at the Position, Permission, and Production levels, with moderate strengths noted at the People Development and Pinnacle levels.Teachers demonstrated a high degree of grit across perseverance, passion, production, and commitment dimensions, and displayed varying levels of professional engagement, particularly favoring webinars, mentoring, and graduate studies over online courses.Statistical analyses confirmed significant positive relationships between principal leadership practices and teachers' grit and professional engagement.Based on the findings, an intervention program was proposed to enhance leadership approaches that further cultivate teacher resilience, motivation, and professional growth.This study highlights the critical role of effective leadership in promoting a committed and resilient teaching workforce.