Lesson 5: Roles and Competencies of School Heads

Introduction:
As stipulated in Chapter 1, Section 5, E of RA 9155, the school head is an
administrative and an instructional leader. Because the main function of school is
students’ learning, the school head must spend more time as an instructional leader.
As an instructional leader, he/she supervises instruction by observing teachers while
they teach, conducting post-observation conferences with individual teachers,
mentoring and coaching them, ensuring that teachers have the needed resources for
teaching. While physical improvement and fund sourcing—the concerns of
administrative leadership – help improve schools, the more concern is improvement
of instruction as this has a direct bearing on learning. More often than not, however,
school heads spend more time soliciting funds for a flagpole, a stage, a classroom,
path walk, waiting shed etc. leaving no time left for instructional supervision.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson, the students must have:

 discussed the competencies expected of school heads as contained in

competency frameworks for Philippines and for Southeast Asia.

Activity – Let’s Read These

Chapter 1, Section 5, E of RA 9155 state that the school head is an

administrative and an instructional leader.

1. List down 2 things that the school head does as an instructional leader and 2
things as an administrative leader.

2. Based on your observations of school heads, with which role is the school
head more occupied? Prove your answer.

Analysis – Let’s Analyze

Answer the following questions:

1. Based on your lists (in the Activity Phase of this lesson) how does an
administrative leader differ from an instructional leader?

2. In your opinion, which between the two leadership roles –

administrative and instructional – should be given more time by the
school head? Why?

NDJ & ACR 2020 p99

 ABSTRACTION: Let’s Conceptualize

Competencies for School Heads: The NCBSSH

In the list of competencies expected of school heads, there are competencies

for both instructional leadership and administrative leadership. Let’s take a look at
the competencies expected of school heads as contained in the National
Competency-Based Standards for School Heads (NCBSSH) issued in DepEd Order 32,
s. 2010 on April 16, 2010.

Figure 2. The National Competency-Based Standards for School Heads

(Inclosure to DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2010)

Table 7. The National Competency-Based Standards

Domains and Competency Strands
DOMAINS Competency Strands
Domain 1 1.A. Developing & Communicating Vision, Mission, Goals, and
School Leadership Objectives (VMGO)
1.B. Data-based Strategic Planning
1.C. Problem Solving
1.D. Building High Performance Teams
1.E. Coordinating with others
1.F. Leading & Managing Change

Domain 2 2.A. Assessment for Learning

Instructional Leadership 2.B. Developing Programs &/or Adapting Existing Programs
2.C. Implementing Programs for Instructional Improvement
2.D. Instructional Supervision

NDJ & ACR 2020 p99

 Domain 3 3.A. setting high social & academic expectations
Creating a Student Centered 3.B. Creating school environments focused on the needs of the
Learning Climate learner

Domain 4 4.A. Creating a Professional Learning Community

HR Management and 4.B. Recruitment & Hiring
Professional Development 4.C. Managing Performance of Teachers and Staff

Domain 5 5.A. Parental Involvement

Parent Involvement and 5.B. External Community Partnership
Community Partnership
Domain 6 6.A. Managing School Operations
School Management and 6.B. Fiscal Management
Operations 6.C. Use of Technology in the Management of Operations
Domain 7 7.A. Professionalism
Personal & Professional 7.B. Communication
Attributes and Interpersonal 7.C. Interpersonal Sensitivity
Effectiveness 7.D. Fairness, Honesty and Integrity

Study Figure 2 side by side with the Table 7 on domains and strands. Notice that
there are competencies expected of school heads as instructional leaders and as
administrative leaders. Focused on instructional leadership are Domain 2, which is
instructional leadership itself and Domain 3, creating a student-centered learning climate
which is part of instructional leadership. Related to administrative leadership are Domain 1,
school leadership; Domain 6, school management and operations; and Domain 4, human
resource management and professional development; Domain 5, parent involvement and
community partnership. Domain 7, personal and professional attributes and interpersonal
effectiveness can relate to both instructional leadership and administrative leadership since
this has something to do a teacher’s person-hood which cannot detach from what a teacher
says and does.

Competency Framework for Southeast Asian School Heads, 2014 Edition

As a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), let’s also take a
look at the competencies of school heads for Southeast Asia.

Figure 3. Competency Framework for Southeast Asian school Heads, 2014

NDJ & ACR 2020 p99

 Study Figure 3 and the Table 8 below:

Table 8. Competency Framework for Southeast Asian School Heads

Domain: Stakeholder Engagement (SE)
1. (SE) promoting shared responsibility 1.1.Build trust and lead teams/communities for
for school improvement school improvement
1.2.Empower the community to work for
enhancement of school performance
2.(SE) Managing education alliances 2.1.Communicate effectively with different
and networks stakeholders
2.2.Facilitate school community partnerships and
activities
2.3.Promote consensus-building
2.4.Manage conflict and practice negotiation skills
3.(SE) Sustaining collaborative 3.1.Support community-based programs and
relationships with stakeholders projects
3.2.Communicate school performance report to
stakeholders
4.(ML) Managing school resources and 1.1.Manage financial resources
systems 1.2.Manage learning environments
1.3.Manage systems and procedures
5.(ML) Managing staff performance 2.1.Manage school performance requirements
2.2.Support professional development of staff
2.3.Recognize staff performance
6.(ML) Managing sustainable school 3.1.Demonstrate program and project
programs and projects management skills
3.2.Promote school-based programs and projects
that support sustainable development
Domain: Instruction Leadership (IL)
1.(IL) Leading Curriculum 1.1.Manage curriculum implementation
implementation and improvement
1.2.Promote sensitivity of diversity and
differentiated instruction
2.(IL) Creating a learner centered 2.1.Promote learner centered activities
environment
2.2.Promote a healthy, safe, and inclusive
learning environment
2.3.Promote a culture of peace and respect for
diversity
3.(IL) Supervising and evaluating 3.1.Apply appropriate models for supervision and
teachers’ performance evaluation
3.2.Nurture teacher leaders
4.(IL) Delivering planned learning 4.1.Promote team-based approaches to
outcomes instructional leadership
4.2.Manage assessments to improve teaching
and learning
Domain: Personal Excellence (PE)
1.(PE) Managing Personal 1.1.Lead by example
Effectiveness 1.2.Demonstrate transparency and accountability
1.3.Practice a balanced healthy lifestyle
1.4.Take pride in one’s profession
1.5.Deliver results
2.(PE) Acting on challenges and 2.1.Manage priorities
possibilities 2.2.Exhibit decisiveness in addressing challenges
2.3.Exhibit an enterprising attitude
3.(PE) Pursuing continuous 3.1.Take responsibility for lifelong learning

NDJ & ACR 2020 p99

 professional development 3.2.Advocate ASEAN values and perspective

Domains and Competencies for School Heads in Southeast Asia

Instructional Leadership
Like the NCBSSH for Philippines, the competency framework for Southeast Asian
school heads also include domains for instructional leadership and administrative leadership.
The domain on Instructional Leadership encompasses 4 competencies: 1) leading curriculum
implementation and improvement; 2) creating a learner-centered environment; 3) supervising
and evaluating teachers’ performance; and 4) delivering planned learning outcomes.

Administrative Leadership
This includes strategic thinking and innovation (Domain 1), stakeholders’ engagement
(Domain 4) and managerial leadership (Domain 5). For the enabling competencies for each
domain, refer to the Table above.

Personal excellence, another Domain (Domain3), relates to both instructional and

administrative leadership. Whatever personal improvement school heads have on their
personal effectiveness by pursuing continuous professional development redounds to improve
administrative and instructional leadership.

School Head and the Community

Like a refrain in a song, the idea that the school and community are partners in the
education of the child has been said repeatedly in this book. Rightly so, to be faithful to the
descriptive title of this course. The Teacher and the Community, School Culture and
Organizational Leadership. In fact, in this book, a separate Chapter was devoted to school
and community partnership to emphasize this significant role of teachers and school heads in
relation to communities. In the NCBSSH, several strands and indicators points to this school
and community partnership. The strand are as follows:

involves internal and external stakeholders in formulating and achieving school vision,
mission, goals and objectives (Domain 1 A)

 explains the school vision to the general public (Domain 1 A)

 aligns the School Improvement Plan/Annual Improvement Plan with national, regional
and local education policies and thrusts (Domain 1 B)
 communicates effectively SIP/AIP to internal and external stakeholders (Domain 1 B)
 involves stakeholders in meetings and deliberations for decision-making (Domain 1D)
 provides feedback and updates to stakeholders on the status of progress and
completion of programs and projects
 creates and manages a school process to ensure student progress is conveyed to
student and parents/ guardians, regularly (Domain 2 C)
 recognizes high performing learners and teachers and supportive parents and other
stakeholders (Domain 3 A)
 prepares financial reports and submits/communities the same to higher education
authorities and other education partners (Domain 6 B)
 maintains harmonious and pleasant personal and official relations with superiors,
colleagues, subordinates, learners, parents and other stakeholders (Domain 7 A)
 listens to stakeholders’ needs and concerns and responds appropriately in
consideration of the political, social, legal and cultural context

In the Southeast Asian Competency Framework, the following competencies

strengthen school and community partnership. 1) promoting shared responsibility for
school improvement; 2) managing education alliances and networks and 3) sustaining
collaborative relationships with stakeholders.

NDJ & ACR 2020 p99

 Application: Let’s Apply

1. By means of a Venn diagram, compare the domains of the NCBSSH and

Southeast Asian Competency Framework for School Heads.

2. What competencies for school heads are common to the NCBSSH and the
Southeast Asian Competencies for School Heads?

3. What is/are in the Southeast Asian Competencies for School Heads that is are
not in the NCBSSH?

4. What is/are in the NCBSSH that is/are not in the Southeast Asian
Competencies for School Heads?

5. Do the competencies for both frameworks emphasize more on instructional

leadership or administrative leadership? Defend your answer.

Assessment – Let’s Check for Understanding

Direction: Write your answer in an intermediate paper.

With the word SCHOOL HEAD, give the competencies of a school head based
on the 2 competency frameworks for school heads you just studied.

S–
C–
H–
O–
O–
L–

H–
E–
A–
D–

NDJ & ACR 2020 p99