Instructional Leadership of School Principals in Improving Teaching Performance of Elementary School Teachers

Abstract

The quality of basic education in Indonesia remains constrained by unresolved structural issues reflected in uneven teacher competence, weak academic supervision, and ineffective policy implementation resulting in suboptimal teaching performance at the elementary level and highlighting the urgent need for strengthened instructional leadership to bridge the gap between educational standards and classroom practice. This study aims to analyze the instructional leadership strategy of school principals in improving the teaching performance of elementary school teachers at SDN 2 Cianting, Plered District, Purwakarta Regency. The importance of this research is based on the need to respond to the problem of low teacher performance and learning quality at the basic education level in Indonesia. The research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method because it allows researchers to gain a comprehensive and contextual understanding of instructional leadership practices in a real school setting. The research informants include school principals, teachers, supervisors, and school committees. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and documentation studies. The research instruments are in the form of interview guidelines and observation sheets, while data analysis is carried out through the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing which are validated using triangulation of sources, methods, and time. The results showed that principals implemented five key instructional leadership strategies, including: 1) Setting clear and contextual learning standards; 2) Implementing reflective and guiding academic supervision; 3) Develop teachers' professional capacity on an ongoing basis; 4) Building a culture of collaboration and teacher leadership; and 5) Strengthening communication, motivation, and school quality culture. The strategies implemented have been proven to strengthen pedagogic competence, learning innovation, and teacher motivation. The findings show a marked improvement in teacher performance in planning, implementing, and evaluating competency-based learning. Thus, instructional leadership plays a crucial role in building a school professional culture and the quality of continuing education, thus requiring policy support and systematic leadership training.