Acting School Principals: The Vacuum from the Lack of Titular Administrators, Challenges, and Adaptation Guidelines for Small Schools

Abstract

This academic article aims to explore the challenges and present adaptation strategies for teachers serving as acting school directors in small schools under a "vacuum from the lack of titular administrators." The study was conducted through literature reviews, document analysis, and conceptual synthesis based on Contingency Theory. The findings reveal that policies tying administrator allocation to student enrollment criteria create three major constraints: 1) dual-role burdens from managing classroom teaching alongside four areas of school administration; 2) role conflicts stemming from their professional status as teachers who must act as administrators while maintaining peer equality; and 3) legal limitations that deprive acting directors of position power, causing difficulties in budgetary and personnel decision-making. To address these crises, the article synthesizes adaptation strategies across three main dimensions: 1) leadership adaptation, shifting from hierarchical command to relationship-oriented and distributed leadership; 2) integrated and flexible resource management, such as multi-grade teaching; and 3) the establishment of collaborative networks by engaging communities and local organizations. Finally, these insights are structured into an Input-Process-Output (IPO) model, serving as a vital mechanism to tangibly sustain and elevate the educational quality of small schools, enabling them to overcome the limitations of the positional vacuum.