School Leadership Strategies and Students’ Academic Performance in Public Day Secondary Schools in Karongi District, Rwanda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53983/ijmds.v15n05.009Keywords:
school leadership strategies, academic performance, student support programmes, parental involvement, data-driven decision-making, Karongi District, RwandaAbstract
This study investigated how school leadership strategies enhance students’ academic performance in public day secondary schools in Karongi District, Rwanda. Three specific objectives guided the inquiry: (1) to examine the influence of student support programs on academic performance; (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of parental involvement in enhancing student academic performance; and (3) to analyse the role of data-driven decision-making (DDDM) processes in improving academic performance. A descriptive mixed-methods design was employed. The target population comprised 231 respondents across 77 public day secondary schools, from which a sample of 147 was drawn using Yamane’s (1967) formula. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were applied, with data collected through questionnaires (deans of teachers, deputy head teachers) and structured interviews (head teachers). Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 21, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings revealed a significant but uneven relationship between school leadership strategies and academic outcomes. Regression analysis confirmed a strong model fit (R = 0.78; R² = 0.61; F = 7.92, p = .001), with school leadership practices explaining 61% of the variance in academic support outcomes. Key findings include inconsistent implementation of remedial programmes, strong parental engagement in formal meetings but weak home-based support, and high rates of data collection without commensurate application to instructional improvement. The study recommends strengthening policies, leadership capacity, and stakeholder collaboration to sustain improvements in student academic outcomes.
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