Philippine professional standards for school heads guide
Examine DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020. Understand the five domains and four career stages defining leadership quality for Filipino school heads and educators.
DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020, formally adopts the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH). This policy serves as a public statement of professional accountability, outlining what school leaders should know, be able to do, and value as they progress in their careers. The adoption of these standards responds to national and global changes, including the K to 12 Basic Education Program, ASEAN integration, and globalization. By institutionalizing these standards, the Department of Education (DepEd) provides a framework for the recruitment, selection, and professional development of school heads.
Rationale for the professional standards for school heads
The Department recognizes that quality student learning depends on quality teachers, who must be supported by quality school leaders. While teacher quality is significant in raising learner achievement, teachers alone cannot bring about substantive changes without effective leadership. International research indicates that the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers, but it also highlights that the work environment shaped by school leadership is a deciding factor in teacher performance.
Previous standards, known as the National Competency-Based Standards for School Heads (NCBSSH) under DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2010, required a review to ensure they respond to new demands in the education environment. The PPSSH introduces a continuum of professional practice that supports school heads in pursuing career progression. This framework is K to 12 aligned, internationally comparable, and responsive to the career aspirations of school personnel. It was developed by the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development (BHROD) and the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) in collaboration with the Philippine National Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ).
Definition of the school head role
According to Republic Act No. 9155, or the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, a school head is a person responsible for administrative and instructional supervision of a school or cluster of schools. These leaders have the authority, responsibility, and accountability for taking care of people in schools to improve people effectiveness while maximizing organizational performance and health. Their duties include setting the direction of schools, managing systems, promoting quality teaching, and engaging community members in initiatives.
Principles guiding the leadership framework
The PPSSH is anchored on several core principles that define its focus and application. These principles ensure that school leadership remains aligned with the Department's vision of producing learners who love their country and possess 21st-century skills.
Learner-centeredness and inclusivity
The learner is at the heart of educational supervision. School heads are expected to create safe, caring, and supportive learning communities while promoting rigorous curricula. This commitment to learners is paired with a focus on inclusivity, recognizing the unique needs of individuals and groups. Leadership must accommodate diversity arising from religious, cultural, linguistic, and gender differences.
Stakeholder engagement and school effectiveness
Leadership involves building a network of organizational supports, including the professional community of teachers, staff, families, and community members. School heads must reflect on the pervasive needs of these groups to address them effectively. The standards emphasize that supervision is a required organizational behavior used to set directions and achieve goals for the benefit of the learners.
Accountability and transparency
The decisions and actions of school heads are open to public scrutiny. Under RA 9155, school heads have the obligation to report, explain, and be answerable for their products, decisions, and policies. The standards promote a culture of transparency where the public has a right to access information regarding school management.
Domains of professional practice
The PPSSH is organized into five domains that collectively comprise 34 strands. These domains represent the broad conceptual spheres of leadership practices required in the 21st century.
Leading strategically
This domain focuses on setting the direction, goals, and objectives of the school. It includes seven strands: vision, mission, and core values; school planning and implementation; policy implementation and review; research and innovation; program design and implementation; learner voice; and monitoring and evaluation tools. School heads must identify relevant research findings to facilitate data-driven innovations and use learner voice to inform policy development.
Managing school operations and resources
This domain centers on the role of school heads in managing school systems and processes to ensure efficiency and fairness. It includes strands on records management, financial management, school facilities and equipment, management of staff, school safety for disaster preparedness, and emerging opportunities. School heads are expected to manage finances by adhering to policies on allocation, procurement, and liquidation while establishing shared accountability in managing school properties.
Focusing on teaching and learning
Instructional leadership is a primary responsibility in this domain. It covers eight strands, including school-based review of learning standards, teaching standards and pedagogies, teacher performance feedback, and learner achievement. School heads assist teachers in making the curriculum relevant and provide technical assistance to improve teaching practice. They are also responsible for managing a learner-friendly environment and implementing effective learner discipline policies.
Developing self and others
This domain recognizes the role of school heads in nurturing themselves and their personnel. Strands include personal and professional development, professional reflection, performance management, and leadership development in individuals and teams. School heads must conduct self-assessments and set professional goals while implementing rewards and recognition mechanisms to motivate learners and staff. They also promote the general welfare of human resources by integrating rights and benefits into school programs.
Building connections
Engaging the wider school community is the focus of this domain. It involves management of diverse relationships, management of school organizations, inclusive practice, communication, and community engagement. School heads build constructive relationships with authorities, colleagues, and parents to support learner development. They also initiate partnerships with alumni and industries to improve school programs.
Progression through career stages
The PPSSH defines four well-defined career stages that describe the professional development of a school head from beginning to exemplary practice.
Career stage 1
This stage is for aspiring school heads who have acquired the prerequisite qualifications for the position. These individuals demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of the authority, responsibility, and accountability expected of school leaders. They possess the minimum qualifications to perform as instructional leaders and administrative managers and are equipped with teaching or leadership skills described in the higher stages of the professional standards for teachers.
Career stage 2
School heads at this stage are professionally independent in performing their functions. They apply the required knowledge of school leadership and maintain school effectiveness by leading strategically. They manage school operations and resources independently while reflecting on their practices for continuous improvement. They seek to involve all school personnel in professional learning.
Career stage 3
These leaders consistently display in-depth knowledge and advanced skills in school management. They establish shared governance with the wider school community for the effective implementation of policies and programs. They continuously reflect on their own developmental needs and the needs of their personnel and learners to attain institutional goals.
Career stage 4
At this stage, school heads exhibit mastery in their application of leadership standards. They model the highest standards of practice and serve as role models in the wider school community. These leaders empower community members in school transformation and commit to inspiring fellow leaders to pursue excellence. They create a lifelong impact in their schools by institutionalizing effective processes and advocating for education as a shared responsibility.
Implementation and monitoring procedures
The Department has assigned specific roles to various bureaus to ensure the standards are integrated into the human resource system. The BHROD is tasked with reviewing and ensuring that policies for selection, hiring, performance appraisal, and promotion are anchored on the PPSSH. This alignment ensures that the standards are not just theoretical but are applied in actual career advancement processes.
The NEAP is responsible for reviewing the design of professional development interventions. All training programs and programs for school heads, whether developed internally or by external parties, must be anchored on these standards. NEAP and BHROD also promote the dissemination of the standards through orientations and capability-building activities across all governance levels.
Regional Offices facilitate the conduct of these orientations and supervise the Schools Division Offices as they cascade the standards within their jurisdictions. Monitoring and evaluation of the achievement of these standards are conducted regularly. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all school heads in the Department embody the professional standards defined in the PPSSH to improve teacher quality and learner achievement.
Practical implications for aspiring school heads
For those preparing for leadership positions or the qualifying examinations for school heads, the PPSSH provides the definitive syllabus of expected competencies. The 2025 NASH Batch 1 results showed that only 38.9% of takers met the standards in at least three domains, highlighting the importance of thorough preparation across all competency areas. Aspiring school heads in Career Stage 1 must demonstrate they have the prerequisite knowledge of all 34 strands across the five domains. Preparation should focus on understanding the transition from classroom instruction to administrative and instructional supervision.
Knowledge of RA 9155 is central, as it provides the legal definition of the authority and accountability that the PPSSH strands seek to measure. Mastery of the standards involves moving beyond simple awareness toward the ability to apply policies in school planning, financial management, and teacher performance feedback. Because the standards serve as the basis for recruitment and placement, candidates are evaluated on their ability to lead strategically and build connections even before they formally assume a school head role. The shift from the NCBSSH to the PPSSH means that the current assessment of school leadership quality is more aligned with the demands of the K to 12 curriculum and international leadership benchmarks.