School Governance in Complex Contexts: A Systems-Informed Framework for Public School Leadership

Abstract In the evolving landscape of Philippine public education, school leaders face complex, interconnected challenges that extend beyond instructional supervision to include financial management, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. This study develops and validates a systems-informed school governance framework designed to support public school heads in diagnosing root causes, identifying leverage points, and executing coherent, sustainable interventions. Drawing from systems thinking, adaptive leadership, and complexity theory, the framework was constructed through deductive theory synthesis and field-validated during a strategic planning session at San Agustin National High School in Sagbayan, Bohol, Philippines. Using design-based qualitative methodology, the research integrated causal loop diagramming and participatory planning to assess the framework’s contextual relevance and usability. Findings reveal that the framework's six iterative stages: Diagnosis, Mapping, Focus, Leverage, Grounding, and Execution, enabled school leaders to shift from reactive compliance to strategic coherence. Planning team members reported increased clarity in problem identification, improved prioritization, and deeper alignment with the Department of Education-Philippines (DepEd-Ph) policies. The study concludes that a systems-informed approach can enhance the strategic capacity of school governance, particularly in resource-constrained and policy-saturated environments. Recommendations include integrating the framework into DepEd-Ph planning instruments, providing capacity-building on systems tools, and developing digital platforms to scale its application.