SCHOOL MANAGEMENT THROUGH TEACHERS' LENSES: EXPLORING LEADERSHIP PRACTICES, ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES, AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

Effective school management goes beyond administrative tasks; it involves empowering teachers, building collaboration, and creating a school environment where everyone can thrive. This study, titled School Management Through Teachers' Lenses: Exploring Leadership Practices, Organizational Challenges, and School Improvement Strategies in Elementary Education, aims to explore how teachers experience school leadership, navigate organizational challenges, and contribute to school improvement. Employing a qualitative single-case study design, the research focuses on seven elementary school teachers at Garab Elementary School, Iguig District, Schools Division of Cagayan, Philippines. Data will be gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Simulated findings suggest that collaborative decision-making, instructional support, transparent communication, and teacher empowerment are important dimensions of effective school management. Meanwhile, limited instructional resources, administrative workloads, insufficient professional development, and coordination difficulties emerge as potential organizational challenges. Drawing from these insights, the study proposes a Context-Based School Management Enhancement Plan emphasizing participatory leadership, resource optimization, professional growth, and stakeholder engagement. Although empirical validation remains necessary, the study highlights the value of listening to teachers as frontline educational stakeholders. Ultimately, it seeks to promote a more inclusive, responsive, and future-ready school management culture where teacher voices inform meaningful decisions and sustainable educational improvement initiatives across local elementary school communities