School Leadership and Bayanihan in Rural Philippine Reading Programs: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Amidst a national learning poverty crisis, the Philippines has implemented reforms like "Catch-Up Fridays," yet rural implementation remains challenging. This narrative review synthesizes literature to analyze how internal school leadership and external community engagement drive reading program success in resource-constrained settings. Utilizing a thematic analysis of peer-reviewed studies and government issuances (2015–2026), the study integrates Hallinger’s Instructional Leadership Model with the Filipino concept of Bayanihan. Results show that while instructional leadership ensures program fidelity through supervision and protected instructional time, the Bayanihan spirit—manifested through volunteerism and resource generation—ensures sustainability by addressing "book famines" in provincial divisions. Consequently, the review concludes that success requires a "hybrid" leadership approach where principals act as both academic supervisors and community mobilizers. These findings offer critical implications for policy, suggesting that future training for school heads must prioritize both curriculum management and social capital cultivation to effectively bridge the policy-practice gap.