School Heads’ Leadership Skills and Teachers’ Work Engagement in the Department of Education: Evidence from Piñan District, Schools Division of Zamboanga del Norte

This study aimed to determine the school heads' leadership skills and their relationship to work engagement among the teachers of Piñan District, Schools Division of Zamboanga del Norte during the school year 2023-2024. The study employed a descriptive correlational research method. Frequency count, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, Kruskal-Wallis H Test, and Spearman Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient (Spearman rho) were the statistical tools used with Jamovi as statistical software. There were ninety (90) teacher-respondents involved. The study revealed that the level of school heads' leadership skills was very high and the teachers were very highly engaged in their respective work assignments. There was no significant difference in the level of school heads' leadership skills and the perceived level of work engagement. There was a significant medium/moderate positive correlation between the levels of school heads' leadership skills and work engagement. Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, the author recommends that Top DepEd Officials, through the Schools Governance and Operations Division (SGOD) would use the findings of this study to validate the School - Based Management (SBM) practices of the school heads in the district. The teachers would also use the findings of the study as the basis for reflection on the importance of school heads' leadership skills and work engagement towards attaining a high level of SBM practice.