Practices of Academic Leaders Towards the Development of an Institutional Mentoring Program

Academic leaders play valuable roles in school. They lead by example. And they shape the vision, strategy, and culture of educational institutions. This study appraises the practices of academic leaders towards the development of an institutional mentoring program. This research aims to determine the practices of academic leaders among school administrators which served as institutional mentoring program. Employing a mixed-method research design, the study examined the leadership practices of 38 newly appointed school administrators in Calamba, Cabuyao, Sta. Rosa, and San Pedro, Laguna. Ten participants for qualitative design. Specifically, the research assessed leadership practices dimensions such as setting directions, developing people, organizational management, instructional leadership, self-appraisal, emotional intelligence, and work efficacy. Data were gathered through survey questionnaires and interview guide questions administered to the academic leaders, specifically, master teachers, head teachers, and school principals. Findings revealed that administrators exhibit very high levels of leadership in strategic direction-setting and instructional program management. However, areas such as vision communication, fostering teacher collaboration, and emotional intelligence require further development. A significant relationship was observed between leadership practices and teacher performance, indicating that strong school leadership positively impacts instructional quality. The study underscores the need for targeted professional development to enhance leadership competencies among new school heads. Based on the findings, a stewardship program focused on capacity building, transformational leadership, school governance, and instructional supervision is proposed to strengthen educational leadership and ensure sustainable academic excellence in basic education institutions.