Framing school leadership preparation and development for Kenya: Context matters

Abstract

This article uses interview data gathered from school leaders to recommend a framework for school leadership preparation and development (SLP&D) in Kenya. Data were gathered from head teachers and principals about the experiences that prepared them for leadership, the gaps in the existing SLP&D initiatives in Kenya, and how current initiatives could be improved. The findings revealed a lack of clarity with regard to SLP&D expectations among school leaders. However, the personal realities and needs of school leaders influenced decisions about when they took leadership positions, what they considered to be meaningful SLP&D, and the modes they preferred and engaged in. The need for a holistic approach to SLP&D was evident in the interconnectedness of: (a) their subjective realities, such as motivations and life commitments; (b) activities they engaged in for meaningful SLP&D, such as taking courses, gaining experience as they moved through the ranks, and mentorship; (c) what they considered to be the requisite competencies for school leadership; and (d) the systemic policies and practices they thought were essential, such as recruitment for SLP&D, standards, accreditation, funding, and partnerships. The article argues for a formalized SLP&D framework that embraces both the personal and contextual realities of the school leaders, the communities they serve, and the systems within which they work.

Leadership preparation, career pathways and the policy context: Irish novice principals’ perceptions of their experiences

“…The disadvantages of preparing identikit or ‘cloned’ leaders have been repeatedly observed (Gronn, 1999; Walker, 2015) given the importance of, and variance in, school contexts (Harris et al, 2016). Okoko (2018) has raised the issues of funding, policy and standards for leadership in Kenya, and in Scotland, Hamilton et al (2018) have outlined the opportunities and challenges in developing a coherent strategy to build system-wide leadership capacity. Therefore, challenges exist for leadership preparation both in the Global South and North.…”

“…Other research in this vein proffers critiques and some scepticism regarding leadership preparation (Lumby, 2014). The other overarching, parallel body of research in leadership preparation holds that research dependent on context (Devi and Fernandes, 2019; Eacott and Asuga, 2014; Moorosi and Grant, 2018; Okoko, 2018) provides an important insight into the roles both context and culture play. This includes research on national policy contexts concerning leadership preparation (Harris and Jones, 2018) and reflections on leadership preparation in particular cultural contexts (Gurr and Drysdale, 2015; McCarthy, 2015; Ng, 2017), an important perspective given the significance of context in scholarship on educational leadership more broadly (Clarke and O’Donoghue, 2017; Hallinger, 2018).…”

Exploring Cross-Cultural Perspectives of Teacher Leadership Among the Members of an International Research Team: A Phenomenographic Study

“…Thus, educational leaders' understandings and practices of leadership develop from the cultural traditions of their local communities, and notions of what constitutes effective leadership are context-specific and subject to cultural bias (Okoko, 2018;Rogoff, 2003;van Emmerick, Euema & Wendt, 2008). It is also well accepted that globalisation and the resulting internationalization of education are facilitating the cross-fertilisation and exchange of new ideas and new ways of thinking, increasing adoption and hybridization (Bottery, 2006;Litz, 2011).…”

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“…Some programmes are well-established, for example in Singapore (Ng, 2008), Hong Kong (Ng & Szeto, 2016), England (T Bush, 2013) and the US (Fanoos & He, 2020;Fryer, 2011;Lazaridou, 2017), while others are more recent, such as those in Canada (A. D. Walker, Bryant, & Lee, 2013), Germany (Klein & Schanenberg, 2020) and South Africa (Gurmu, 2020;Okoko, 2020;Okoko, Scott, & Scott, 2015).…”