Instructional Leadership of School Heads in Implementing Reading Programs in Davao del Sur

This qualitative study explored the instructional leadership practices of school heads in implementing reading programs in the Division of Davao del Sur. Ten school heads from urban, rural, and geographically isolated schools participated in in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, yielding five themes: (1) transformative leadership through vision setting, (2) teacher capacity building through continuous professional support, (3) data-driven decision-making for literacy improvement, (4) challenges in resource constraints, teacher workload, and stakeholder engagement, and (5) coping mechanisms and adaptive leadership strategies. Findings reveal that school heads exercise adaptive and resilient leadership by mobilizing resources, fostering collaboration, and embedding literacy goals into school improvement plans despite systemic constraints. The study underscores the importance of visionary and distributed leadership in sustaining literacy initiatives. Implications include strengthening teacher professional development, institutionalizing community partnerships, and enhancing diagnostic tools to advance reading proficiency. By situating the study within Hallinger and Murphy’s instructional leadership framework and extending it through adaptive leadership perspectives, this research contributes to the discourse on literacy leadership in resource-constrained contexts and highlights how school heads transform challenges into opportunities for literacy growth. teacher professional development, institutionalizing community partnerships, and enhancing diagnostic tools to advance reading proficiency.