Abstract:
Policy making in education in Kenya is usually the concern of those in authority such as the
legislators, Minister of Education, Ministry officials among others. However there are school
based policies that are a concern of the Head teacher. This study sought to investigate the role of
head teachers in the formulation and implementation of school-based policies in Kenya. The
study was conducted in all the ten secondary schools that are found in the study area. It involved
all the ten head teachers who were chosen purposively, through simple random sampling fifty
teachers and three hundred students were chosen as respondents. The study was guided by
collegial theories which assume that organizations determine policies and make decisions
through a process of discussion. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The study
revealed a significant difference in the perceptions of the respondents regarding the head
teachers’ involvement of students, teachers and parents in school- based policy making and
schools’ effectiveness in terms of improved academic performance. The study further found out
that the head teachers do not involve other stakeholders (teachers, students and parents) in
school-based policy making which negatively impacts on schools’ academic achievement.
