Empowering School Heads: Transformational Leadership and Digital Strategies In Technology-Driven Era

AUTHOR(S)

CLEMENTE D. HERNANE

ABSTRACT

— This study examined the transformational leadership competencies and digital strategies employed by school heads in the Schools Division of Naga City, Cebu during the School Year 2024–2025, with the goal of proposing an enhancement program. Specifically, the research explored the demographic profiles of 14 school heads and 165 teachers, assessing their perceptions regarding digital leadership competencies including equity advocacy, visionary planning, empowerment, system design, and connected learning and the effectiveness of digital strategies in areas such as technology adoption, innovation support, infrastructure, and policy implementation. Findings revealed that school heads perceive themselves to have high digital leadership competency, particularly as system designers and connected learners, while teachers rate their school heads’ competencies more moderately, especially in equity and visionary planning. Similarly, school heads reported strong implementation of digital strategies, especially in professional development and innovation support, whereas teachers’ perceptions were more reserved, citing gaps in infrastructure readiness and innovation encouragement. Despite a general alignment in perceived leadership competency between groups, a statistically significant difference emerged in perceptions of digital strategy effectiveness, indicating a perceptual gap between strategic leadership and classroom realities. Regression analysis showed no significant relationship between the demographic profiles of respondents and their perceptions, suggesting that effective digital leadership is shaped more by behavior than by personal or professional background. The results underscore the importance of inclusive, collaborative leadership approaches and continuous professional development. Based on these insights, an enhancement program is proposed to align leadership vision with classroom implementation, bridge perception gaps, and strengthen the digital transformation of schools. Keywords — Transformational Leadership, Digital Strategies, Educational Technology Integration, School Leadership & Teacher Perception