ABSTRACT
Strategic planning is a key component to success in all institutions worldwide in regard to achievement of their mission, vision, goals and objectives. Our schools are therefore not an exception in strategic planning. The purpose of this study was to establish the existence of strategic planning in schools and to assess their effectiveness in management of the secondary schools in Nakuru North. The study employed a descriptive survey design, targeting all 33 public secondary schools in Nakuru North. With a population of 33 principals, 33 deputy principals, 425 teachers and 12439 students were purposively selected to provide a sample size of 154 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires for principals, HoDs, teachers and students. An interview schedule for BoM and PTA chairpersons was used. A documentary analysis of vital school documents such as KCSE spread sheets and analysis, school inventories among others was also done. Prior to the actual data collection a pilot study in three secondary schools was conducted to determine the reliability and validity of the instruments. Collected data were both quantitative and qualitative. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages) and inferential statistics (chi-square and regression). The results are presented using tables and charts.
