CAPTURING THE CHALLENGES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF READING PROGRAM THROUGH SCHOOL-TO-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP (SSP) IN MAUBAN SOUTH DISTRICT

The primary aim of the research was to determine the challenges on the implementation of reading program through school-to-school partnership among the ten (10) partner schools in Mauban South District, Division of Quezon. It involved eight (8) school heads, eight (8) reading coordinators, and eight (8) SSP coordinators. This study used a qualitative approach through naturalistic inquiry was used to observe, describe, and interpret the actions and experiences of specific people or group. Results revealed that the reading program was better implemented through school-to-school partnership in terms of functionality, administrators and teachers’ support, and stakeholders’ support. Meanwhile, problems on absenteeism, negative attitude of the learners, lack of study habits, lack of parental support and guidance, and sustainability emerged as challenges to the reading program even after SSP. The school-to-school partnership provided reading materials and reading assessment tools because of the available funds, provision of a leader and mentor school, development of a functional reading program, and intrinsic assistance to teachers. Leader schools shared their ideas, best practices, unique projects and strategies, and work and financial plans. They also shared learning and reading materials to the partner school, provided conferences and capacity-building activities, served as role model, mentor and coach, and monitored the work of its partner school by providing critiques, feedback, suggestions and technical assistance. Through the school-to-school partnership, the overall reading performance or index of the school increased and the number of struggling readers lessened. It also provided positive implications towards the learners’ reading performance including phonemic awareness, increased reading speed, increased reading comprehension, and recognition of punctuation marks while reading. With these results, the implementation of the project-based matrix for reading program for Mauban South District is recommended.