STRENGTHENING INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED LEADERSHIP: AN EXAMINATION OF MASTER TEACHERS' SUPERVISORY DECISION-MAKING AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT PRACTICES

Effective instructional supervision goes beyond classroom observation— it requires informed decisions, meaningful professional support, and leadership driven by evidence. This study examined evidence-based leadership, supervisory decision-making, and professional support practices among Master Teachers in public elementary schools within the Santiago South Cluster, Schools Division of Santiago City, Philippines. Employing a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design, the study used a structured questionnaire to assess instructional data utilization, supervisory planning, mentoring, coaching, and organizational challenges. The simulated findings indicated very high levels of evidence-based leadership, supervisory decision-making, and professional support practices. Master Teachers demonstrated strengths in utilizing learner performance data, identifying instructional needs, and providing mentoring and coaching. However, gaps emerged in supervisory follow-up, intervention evaluation, and workload management. Hypothetical correlation results suggested positive relationships among evidence-based leadership, supervisory decisionmaking, and professional support practices. These patterns informed the development of a proposed Evidence-Based Instructional Supervision Enhancement Framework emphasizing data-informed decisions, collaborative mentoring, continuous monitoring, and organizational support. The study highlighted the potential of transforming traditional supervision into a more responsive, collaborative, and evidence-driven leadership process. Ultimately, strengthening instructional supervision requires moving beyond compliance toward purposeful professional growth, informed decision-making, and sustainable school improvement through structured