📄 Abstract
The increasing complexity of educational leadership tasks poses significant challenges for educational leaders, particularly in public schools where administrative responsibilities are intensified by limited manpower and resources. In the Philippine public school system, newly appointed educational leaders face increasing instructional, managerial, and administrative demands. This study examined the mentorship needs and challenges of educational leaders as a basis for developing a localized mentorship policy framework. The study employed a mixed-methods research design grounded in empowering leadership and communities of practice. It was conducted in three School Divisions in Nueva Ecija, namely the Schools Division of Cabanatuan City, the Schools Division of San Jose City, and the Schools Division of Science City of Muñoz. Quantitative data were gathered through a structured survey administered to educational leaders with less than five years of leadership experience, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews to explain and enrich the quantitative results. Descriptive statistical analysis and thematic analysis were used for data interpretation. Results indicated that mentorship was rated as highly needed in all major leadership domains, particularly in instructional leadership, school management and operations, stakeholder engagement, decision-making, and emotional and professional support. Mentoring related to leadership confidence, problem-solving, and role clarity was likewise assessed as highly needed. Conversely, key constraints, including the absence of a formal mentoring program, limited availability of trained mentors, time constraints, and heavy administrative workload, were perceived as challenging. Qualitative findings corroborated these results by revealing that mentoring support was largely informal, inconsistent, and highly dependent on peer relationships rather than institutional systems. The study concludes that the high level of mentorship needs and the highly challenging nature of existing support mechanisms highlight the urgency of establishing a structured, sustained, and context-responsive mentorship system. Based on the findings, a localized mentorship policy framework is proposed to strengthen leadership competence, professional growth, and leadership sustainability among educational leaders.
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📚 How to Cite:
Carlo E. Medrano, Reynaldo A. Cabual , MENTORSHIP NEEDS AND CHALLENGES OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERS IN SELECTED SCHOOLS DIVISION IN NUEVA ECIJA , Volume 11 , Issue 6, June 2026, EPRA International Journal of Research & Development (IJRD) , Pages: 65 - 68 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra28275