The Challenges Faced and Strategies Adopted by Newly-Appointed School Leaders: A Basis for a Training Needs Analysis

Abstract

This paper aimed at determining the challenges faced by newly hired or newly appointed Senior High School principals and Subject Leaders in managing their schools in the Division of Pasig City. The primary focus was to identify the challenges they faced and the adopted strategies they employed as they fulfill their administrative duties. The researcher utilized a descriptive research design. An open-ended survey questionnaire which was adopted and modified from DEPED NCBSSH-TDNA Guide and Tools was used as the main instrument of the study. An in-depth interview to selected respondents was also conducted to validate the data gathered from the seven (7) school principals and twenty-five 25 subject leaders or coordinators as the population of the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The results revealed that newly appointed school principals and subject leaders faced significant challenges in terms of school leadership, school management and operation, teachers and students’ management, parental involvement and community partnership, curriculum management, financial management and budgeting and have employed necessary strategies to address the challenges faced. Based on the findings, this study recommended that Department of Education officials should come up with an intervention and strategies to diminish the challenges faced by newly appointed school leaders such as designing a pre-training seminar and courses relevant to leadership and governance issues. Thus, the results of this study should interest and benefit DEPED officials and newly appointed school leaders as this can provide them with the exact need and support they required to become effective and competent school leaders.