Sustaining Higher Education Institutions: Enhancing School Climate, Leadership, and Faculty-Efficacy

The study sought to analyze school climate, leadership, and faculty efficacy towards sustaining effectiveness in the private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the City of Meycauayan, Bulacan for the School Year 2015-2016 using descriptive methods and questionnaires as specific techniques. The study was geared to describe the school climate of the HEIs as perceived by the faculty and school heads. It investigated the leadership of the heads in terms of School Management Team (SMT) composition, significant responsibility, and involvement in school tasks. It was undertaken to find out the faculty’s efficacy level in student engagement, classroom management, and instructional practice. It intended to explore the significant difference between the perceptions of school heads and faculty in school climate as to school staff’s relationship, capacity to provide quality instruction and school climate issues. Major findings revealed that HEIs fostered good relationship status. Heads and the faculty perceived that HEIs’ capacity in providing quality instruction is only “moderately good.” The findings showed that HEIs utilized SMT composition and a School Governing Board (SGB). Heads’ major tasks include determining course content both national and regional curricula, appointing, or hiring teachers, and establishing student disciplinary policies and procedures. Heads allocated most of their time to administrative duties, like curriculum and teaching-related tasks while the least of their time was spent on interactions with students, parents, and local, regional, and business industries. On faculty efficacy, the data confirmed that teachers were “highly efficacious” in student engagement and “very highly efficacious” in instructional practice and classroom management. The perceptions of the heads and faculty on the school climate as to relationships among school staff do not differ significantly. In contrast, the perceptions of heads and faculty differ significantly on the school climate in terms of the school’s capacity to provide quality instruction and school climate issues. Keywords: perceptions, climate, efficacy, leadership, school effectiveness