The effectiveness of an educational system heavily relies on teachers' commitment. In Cameroon, despite government efforts, concerns about teacher engagement persist. This study, based on Meyer and Allen’s Organisational Commitment Model, examined how leadership approaches influence teacher commitment in secondary schools in Kupe-Muanenguba Division. The research focused on democratic, transformational, and transactional leadership styles. Using a survey design with concurrent triangulation, data were collected from 248 teachers and 354 students across six government schools. Teachers completed the “Teacher Insights on Management Approach to Leadership Questionnaire” (TIMAL-Q), while students used the “Student Perception of Educator Commitment Questionnaire” (SPEC-Q). Semi-structured interviews with principals and vice principals supplemented the data. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts, proportions, and Pearson Correlation, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Findings revealed strong positive correlations between democratic (r=.980, p=.028) and transformational (r=.980, p=.028) leadership styles and teacher commitment, suggesting these approaches significantly enhance engagement. The transactional style also showed a positive correlation (r=.800, p=.014), though to a lesser extent. Qualitative data highlighted practices aligning with these leadership styles. The study underscores the importance of democratic and transformational leadership in fostering teacher commitment, especially in challenging environments. Recommendations include integrating these approaches to improve teacher engagement in quantitative and affective domains, leveraging transactional leadership for short-term goals, and providing targeted leadership training for school managers. This comprehensive strategy aims to boost teacher commitment and performance despite infrastructural constraints.

This study examines the characteristics, challenges, and strategies of school leadership in Cambodian high schools, with a focus on leadership in resource-constrained settings. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research investigates how principals in six northwestern provinces implement leadership practices to improve educational outcomes. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 21 principals and analyzed via thematic analysis. Key findings reveal that visionary approaches, collaborative cultures, data-driven decision-making, and resilience characterize effective leadership. Challenges such as limited resources, variable teacher quality, and insufficient professional development hinder progress. The study contributes to educational leadership theory by highlighting the critical role of tailored leadership development programs and resource management in transforming underperforming schools. Practical implications include recommendations for policymakers to expand leadership training, enhance community engagement, and prioritize funding for underperforming schools. This research offers valuable insights for improving leadership in post conflict and resource-limited educational contexts.

This study investigates the role of educational leadership in supporting student mental health and promoting equity within schools. It examines three leadership models, transformational, trauma-informed, and equity-focused leadership, and their effectiveness in fostering inclusive school environments. By synthesizing recent empirical studies, this review identifies strategies that enhance student engagement, emotional resilience, and academic performance. The findings reveal that schools with proactive leadership in mental health experience improved student well-being, reduced behavioral challenges, and higher academic success. However, barriers such as resource constraints, inconsistent policy implementation, and a lack of specialized training for school leaders hinder the full integration of mental health initiatives. These challenges disproportionately affect marginalized student populations, underscoring the need for leadership approaches that address systemic inequities in education. This review emphasizes the importance of embedding mental health within broader school policies and practices. By prioritizing psychological safety, fostering strong school-community partnerships, and ensuring equitable access to mental health resources, educational leaders can create sustainable, supportive learning environments. The study offers practical recommendations for policymakers and school administrators to strengthen leadership practices that bridge the gap between academic achievement and student well-being. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on student mental health and equity, advocating for school environments that nurture both academic and emotional growth.

The transitioning of Teacher Training Colleges into Colleges of Education as tertiary institutions by Act 847 is significant for ensuring strategic management change. This research investigated the strategic management of Dambai College of Education in the transitional change. The study adapted the methodological framework of the “Theory of Organisational Change” to ascertain leadership strategies that worked well in contributing to rapid positive transformation and their impact and those potential strategies to further improve the College. The study was qualitative with an interpretive paradigm and nominalist ontological and epistemological stance with participatory inquiry design. Homogeneous purposive sampling was used to select 15 participants for data collection. Data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire. Thematic analyses were done. Findings under strategies that worked include effective governance, recruitment, continuous professional development, Internally Generated Funds (IGF), merit-based remuneration of staff, and enhancement of physical infrastructure. The impact made includes boosting the morale of staff, students, traditional authorities, and other stakeholders; ownership of responsibility; improved learning outcomes; more spaces and equipment for effective work; and the College's improved outlook. Strategies to adopt include more stakeholder engagement and integration of technology. The research concluded that the college has transformed positively and needs to further improve its developmental agenda by adopting hybrid change models.

Instructional leadership is one of the central research trends in school management and leadership. The period from 2002 to 2023 marks the transition from theoretical research to practical research. This study aims to find out research trends on Instructional Leadership from 2002 to 2023, thereby finding new research directions and effective applications in the practice of Instructional Leadership associated with different school contexts at different local, national, and regional. Research directions also need to be expanded with a larger scope associated with educational innovation in the 4.0 revolution. Using the bibliometric analysis method with the support of VOSviewer software, 995 types of research consisting of journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and books were extracted from the Scopus database. Research results show that there are differences in research on Instructional Leadership in developed and developing countries in different socio-cultural contexts. There was the most significant growth from 2015-2017 in the volume, growth trends, and regional distribution of global IL press products. Leading Authors and IL Research Journals from the US and developing countries. Empirical studies follow three main directions: a school leader with the role of Instructional leadership, scholars who have focused on different aspects of Instructional leadership, and the actions in the instructional leadership models. Instructional Leadership from 2002 to 2023 focuses on teachers as well as student activities.