The learning needs of secondary school principals: An investigation in Nakuru district, Kenya

Abstract

School leaders have long been recognised as crucial to the quality of schooling. As a result, the preparation and development of school leaders has attracted substantial attention from practitioners, systemic authorities, academics and policy makers. While this discourse has a long history in the US and to a lesser extent other parts of the world such as Britain and Australia, in recent times there has been an emerging voice from Africa. This paper contributes to this emerging literature by reporting on a project conducted in the Nakuru district of Kenya. We argue that for the meaningful construction of school leadership preparation and development programs, there is a need for greater acknowledgement and engagement with the learning needs of practitioners.