EFFECTIVENESS OF INCLUSIVE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF BECOMING INNOVATIVE SCHOOL HEADS

Educational Management

This study explores the effectiveness of inclusive practices and the challenges faced by school heads in becoming innovative leaders within public elementary schools under the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE)–BARMM. It addresses how school heads implement inclusive education and navigate the evolving expectations of leadership in a post-conflict and culturally diverse region. Grounded in both quantitative and qualitative approaches through a mixed methods design, data were collected from 25 central schools in the Division of Maguindanao del Sur. The findings reveal that while inclusive practices such as differentiated instruction, community engagement, and learner-centered approaches are generally upheld, implementation is uneven due to varied leadership styles, limited professional development, and scarce resources. In particular, school heads face challenges such as lack of training on inclusive pedagogies, insufficient infrastructure to accommodate learners with special needs, and balancing administrative responsibilities with instructional leadership. Correlational analysis further showed a significant relationship between school heads’ strategies—arbitration, communication, and conciliation—and their ability to manage interpersonal conflicts effectively, which in turn affects their inclusivity efforts. The study highlights that becoming an innovative school head requires not only strong leadership skills but also emotional intelligence, collaborative decision-making, and ongoing professional learning. It concludes with policy recommendations to strengthen inclusive leadership practices through capacity building, stakeholder collaboration, and adaptive support systems tailored to the socio-cultural and geographical realities of BARMM schools.

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