Influence of School Governing Council on School Management and Stakeholders’ Engagement

AUTHOR(S)

YLRAH MAY D. SALOR

ABSTRACT

—— This study investigates the impact of School Governing Councils (SGCs) on school management and stakeholders’ engagement in the Oquendo Districts, Division of Calbayog City during School Year 2024–2025, with the ultimate goal of proposing a Capability-Building Plan. Anchored on a descriptive-correlational research design, the study examines how SGC effectiveness relates to various dimensions of school governance by determining the profile of SGC members and teachers, assessing the SGC’s influence on school management in terms of openness, transparency, communication, synergy, continuous personal development, cooperation and trust, leadership, shared goals, roles and responsibilities, and school improvement, and evaluating its impact on stakeholder engagement across governance, curriculum implementation, resource mobilization and management, accountability, community involvement, and policy development. It further explores significant relationships between respondent groups and their perceived SGC impact, the association between SGC influence on management and engagement, and identifies the challenges encountered by SGC members. The population includes 103 SGC members selected through total enumeration and 235 teachers chosen via simple random sampling, ensuring diverse and representative perspectives across the three Oquendo districts. Data were gathered using a validated researcher-made questionnaire composed of demographic profiling, Likert-scale assessments of SGC impact, and open-ended items on challenges encountered. Data collection involved obtaining authorization from division and school officials, distributing surveys, clarifying questionnaire items, retrieving responses, and analyzing results using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, Chi-square tests, and multiple response analysis. Findings reveal that SGCs have a strong positive impact on school management, particularly in leadership, transparency, and synergy, while their influence on stakeholder engagement is positive but comparatively weaker due to limited community participation, insufficient training, and unclear roles. Challenges such as time constraints, inadequate communication, and lack of parental involvement emerged as major barriers. The study concludes that while SGCs significantly enhance school management, their potential in mobilizing stakeholders remains underutilized, thereby necessitating structured training, strengthened policies, improved communication systems, and more inclusive governance mechanisms. These results inform the development of a Capability-Building Plan aimed at empowering SGCs to contribute more effectively to school improvement and community participation. Keywords: School Governing Council (SGC), School Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Governance Effectiveness, Capability-Building Plan