Capacitating Aspiring School Heads: A Grounded Theory Study on Leadership Development

This study aimed to capacitate aspiring school heads of Castilla District DepEd Sorsogon Province, Philippines. The present study utilized qualitative research using the grounded theory model. Aspiring school heads reported a lack of training, advice, mentoring, cooperation, stakeholder participation, continuous improvement possibilities, and role models that inspired them. The prospective school heads gave useful insights into their preferred leadership development program. This curriculum includes leadership training and mentorship and professional development and progress.  The following topics arose from the program's contribution to future school heads' aspirations: Empowering Educational Communities and Transformational Leadership, Promoting Systematic Educational Reform via Policy Advocacy and Strategy, Fostering Lifelong Learning and Empathy in Education Leadership, and Training and Skill Development for Leadership Readiness and Competence. Hence, this study stressed the importance of training, mentoring, and inspiration for potential school leaders. which may help them achieve their goals in numerous ways. From the above results, the following suggestions were made: Offer organized mentorship from experienced school administrators to aspiring school heads. Create a mentorship program for prospective school administrators to learn from experienced leaders to help potential leaders develop their talents, students must be encouraged to engage in school activities. Promote continual learning and empathy among educational leaders to encourage future school administrators to seek personal growth and introspection actively. Develop and implement a capacity-building program for school principal candidates. Finally, additional research may be conducted to validate the findings of this study.