School Principals’ Conceptual Skills and Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Kakamega County

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to establish how school principals’ conceptual skills influence students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kakamega County. Methods: The study made use of a correlation research design. A total of 3,350 teachers, 276 deputy principals, 1104 heads of departments, and 276 principals of secondary schools in Kakamega County make up the target population of 5006 subjects. The study sampled 152 respondents, which comprised 8 principals, 8 deputy principals, 34 HODs, and 102 teachers. Stratified simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were applied to sample participants who were 152. Questionnaires were used to collect data from teachers, deputy principals, and heads of departments, and an interview guide for the principals. Inferential statistics which included regression analysis was used to determine how the independent factors affect the dependent variable. Results: The study found that principals’ conceptual skills had a positive and significant effect on academic performance in public secondary schools in Kakamega County. Conclusion: Ensuring teachers understand the vision and mission of the school which is the responsibility of the school principal enhances the school performance. The principal should however provide guidance to the teachers on ways to achieve the school’s vision and mission. Policymakers who make school-related policies should formulate a policy that will guide the TSC when posting principals to only post those who are competent in conceptual skills. Keywords: Leadership skills, conceptual skills, academic performance