ABSTRACT
This study aimed to determine the private school teachers’ collaboration strategies in the implementation of school innovations as groundwork for enhancement program. Using a phenomenological approach, ten (10) purposively selected private school teachers served as participants. Data were gathered through interview and analyzed using Thematic Analysis. The findings revealed that teamwork, open communication, professional growth, and administrative assistance are crucial for maintaining breakthroughs. Teachers faced obstacles such as insufficient resources, workload, aversion to change, and technical impediments. To tackle these challenges, they implemented coping mechanisms based on ingenuity, teamwork, adaptability, continual learning, and emotional resilience. The proposed enhancement program was created to help teachers in private schools improve their innovation skills and institutionalize adaptive and collaborative methods.
Keywords: Collaboration Strategies, Private Schools, School Innovation, Enhancement Program
INTRODUCTION
As educational institutions adjust to new pedagogical techniques, technological advancements, and societal expectations, they are under growing pressure to innovate. The adoption of school innovations has become a strategic need in private schools, where competitive quality, stakeholder satisfaction, and institutional sustainability are given top priority. When educators engage meaningfully, sharing knowledge, co-planning lessons, mentoring colleagues, and working together to implement programs that improve teaching and learning, school innovation flourishes.
Recent research emphasizes how important teacher collaboration is to creating creative learning environments. Private schools that cultivate a collaborative professional culture and demonstrate supportive leadership are better positioned to maintain innovation. This is particularly evident when school leaders encourage open communication and involve staff members in shared decision-making processes (Ersozlu et al., 2024). In the same way, Pan, Lin, and Chung (2024) reported that teacher collaboration significantly predicts school innovativeness and the implementation of innovative teaching practices, especially through professional dialogue, peer mentoring, and collaborative instructional planning.
Teacher leadership is shown to be a potent driver for significant teamwork. According to Ainin, Tampus, and Eliseo (2025), collaborative work grows deeper and more in line with school objectives when teachers take on leadership positions, such as mentoring colleagues, organizing projects, or spearheading curriculum ideas. Paris (2025) also highlighted that collaborative learning and experimental environments greatly boost teachers' inventiveness and creativity, strengthening the connection between successful school innovation and teamwork.
According to DepEd No. 35, s. 2016, the significance of collaborative creativity was emphasized through various directives and regulations. DepEd's push for 21st-century learning competencies also motivates schools to implement cutting-edge initiatives based on cooperation, adaptability, and ongoing development.
Private schools differ greatly in how they encourage, practice, or incorporate cooperation into innovation projects, despite these policy directives. While some schools have great collaborative cultures, others struggle with relational and structural issues that hinder the adoption of innovation and teamwork. There is still a lack of knowledge regarding the particular collaboration techniques teachers use in private school environments, particularly with regard to putting school innovations into practice and attaining organizational improvement.
This study aimed to describe how teachers collaborate, the tactics they employ, the difficulties they face, and how their cooperative efforts support the effective adoption of school innovations. The results are intended to be used as a basis for creating an enhancement program that promotes overall school improvement, develops a collaborative culture, and improves innovation practices.
see PDF attachment for more information