School Heads as Instructional Leaders: Enhancing Educational Outcomes at Secondary Level

Abstract

This study investigates secondary school educators' perceptions of the instructional leadership practices employed by school heads, acknowledging the critical role such practices play in enhancing institutional effectiveness and student academic achievement. Utilizing a quantitative research design, the study adopted a descriptive survey approach to address its objectives. A sample of 165 secondary school teachers from Karachi was selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS Version 22, employing frequency distributions, percentage analysis, and standard deviation. The findings indicate that teachers were generally satisfied with the instructional leadership practices of their school heads. Most participants emphasized the importance of the head-teachers' roles in providing instructional resources, safeguarding instructional time, maintaining visibility within the school environment, and offering opportunities for professional development. Moreover, participants perceived their school heads as effectively fulfilling these responsibilities. It is recommended that school heads continue to prioritize providing instructional resources and expand professional development initiatives to enhance teachers' professional growth and instructional focus.

Key words: Instructional leadership, Resource provider, Protecting Time, Professional development, Maintaining Visibility