Abstract:
This paper examines the impact of implementing democratic school leadership (DSL) on the commitment levels of Advisory School Council (ASC) members in Philippine public secondary schools. Through an experiment with empirical surveys and interviews, this study reveals that the experimental group (EG) had higher levels of commitment compared with the control group (CG) after one year of implementing DSL. The EG perceived the ASC operation in their schools as effective. Respondents who reported higher levels of commitment after implementing DSL indicated satisfaction with the composition of the ASC, found the committee structure in the ASC to be useful, and acknowledged that their school heads shared information adequate for the ASC to make sound decisions. Factors that affected the development of the stakeholders' commitment to school improvement have been identified. The study suggests that the Philippines should expedite the process of establishing school councils in the public schools.