<![CDATA[This study aimed to analyze principal leadership strategies for improving the quality of primary education in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, identify supporting and inhibiting factors, and examine teachers’ evaluations and expectations of principal leadership. A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed involving two principals and two teachers from SDI Wae Ri’i and SDI Jaya Sama. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis and were analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The findings revealed that principals implemented multiple leadership strategies, including local collaboration, academic supervision, teacher professional development, participatory leadership, motivation and appreciation, and visionary leadership. Local collaboration emerged as the most dominant strategy, reflecting the importance of community participation in supporting educational improvement. Supporting factors included community involvement, professional learning opportunities, adequate facilities, financial support, and consistent supervision, while limited infrastructure, geographical barriers, diverse student needs, and socioeconomic constraints inhibited implementation. Teachers perceived principal leadership positively, particularly in strengthening teaching quality, school culture, and professional development, although they highlighted the need for improved digital infrastructure and support for holistic student development. The study concludes that contextual, collaborative, and transformational leadership is essential for sustaining educational quality and equity in resource-constrained 3T regions.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
