Assessment of Classroom Professionalism of Teachers in Cabitan National High School: Basis for a Professional Development Program

This descriptive study assessed the level of classroom professionalism among teachers of Cabitan National High School. All 51 teachers participated through complete enumeration. A validated 20-item self-assessment tool measured five domains of professionalism: professional responsibility, teaching commitment and ethics, classroom management and learner engagement, professional relationships, and continuous professional growth.

Findings revealed that 52.94% of teachers were Proficient and 47.06% were Highly Professional. No respondents were classified under Developing or Needs Improvement levels, indicating a generally high level of professionalism. Results align with the standards of the Department of Education, Philippines through the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST). However, the dominance of the Proficient level suggests the need for continuous professional advancement.

Based on the findings, a professional development program titled “Project RISE: Reinforcing Instructional Standards and Excellence in Teaching” is proposed to further enhance teacher competencies.

Integrating School Heads’ Performance Level and Leadership Experiences: A Convergent Mixed Methods Analysis on their Strategic Functions

This study employed a convergent mixed methods research design to determine the strategic leadership performance and experiences of school heads in integrated schools. The respondents included 188 teaching and non-teaching personnel from 15 integrated schools. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, and weighted mean, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. Career Stage 1 school heads demonstrated “very satisfactory” performance, while Career Stages 2 and 3 achieved “outstanding” performance. Their leadership practices include alignment of school vision, mission, and goals with DepEd priorities; data-driven decision-making; transparent resource management; shared leadership and governance; and collaborative school improvement culture. Challenges are overload in dual-level leadership, resource and infrastructure constraints, complexity of balancing diverse needs, administrative workload and overlapping activities, and balancing decisions with DepEd directives. The integration of the findings revealed that leadership performance increased with career stages, and strategic leadership competence develops with professional experience and leadership roles grounded on values to stronger strategic planning and implementation. These findings serve as the basis in the development of a leadership handbook. This study recommends strengthening policies, professional development, and institutional support for school heads in integrated schools.