State policies and leadership standards prioritize school leadership̶particularly through principal leadership training programs. The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) introduced the Principal Preparation Program (PPP) and Leadership Upgrading Program (LUP) to strengthen principals’ capacity, yet many still face limited knowledge and leadership skills. Given the lack of empirical studies, it is necessary to examine these programs in practice. This qualitative multiple-case study explored graduates’ perspectives on program content, delivery, practices, challenges, and feedback. Sixteen purposively selected graduates were interviewed, with data separately analyzed by each case to generate a rich, contextualized understanding of participants’ experiences. Findings show that both programs enhanced leadership knowledge and skills, mindset change, and leadership practices. Explicitly, LUP emphasized practical and instructional leadership, strong community involvement, improving learning quality, and addressing school challenges such as reducing dropout and transfer-out rates, decreasing school violence, and increasing student outcomes. PPP, meanwhile, supported leadership awareness, deepened understanding of policies and reforms, supported vision-setting, promoted self-growth, and positively infl uenced leadership practices. Nevertheless, challenges in practice remain to be discussed further. Graduates recommended reviewing course content, improving training eff ectiveness, creating follow-up support, and linking theories to contextual practices. This study off ers empirical insights and stresses the need to strengthen leadership programs and ensure sustainable support for school principals.
Seng Sovath (Fri,) studied this question.