Analysis of Strategic Planning Practices and School Performance: Evidence from Public Secondary Schools in Tanzania

Aims: This study sought to analyse the nature of strategic planning practices adopted by public secondary schools in enhancing school performance in Tanzania. Specifically, it determined the extent to which the adopted strategic options in the school management reflect strategic analysis practices; examined the extent to which the adopted strategic options in the school management reflect strategic choice practices; and evaluated the extent to which the adopted strategic options in the school management reflect strategic implementation practices. Study Design: The study employed a concurrent triangulation design within the framework of a mixed methods approach. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in two Districts of Mwanza Region namely: Nyamagana and Magu in which data were collected from public secondary schools between August 2022 and January 2023. Methodology: The sample size involved a total of 354 respondents including 266 members of the School Management Teams (SMTs), 76 members of the School Governing Boards (SGBs), 10 Ward Education Officers (WEOs) and 2 District Education Officers (DEOs). Research data were collected through questionnaire, interview and documentary review. The quantitative data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics in terms of mean and skewness, while the qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. Results: The results revealed that, the strategic options adopted by public secondary schools in enhancing school performance reflect strategic analysis practices by (22.2%, M=1.27); strategic choice practices by (25.7%, M=1.24); and strategic implementation practices by (55.5%, M=1.94). Conclusion: The study concluded that, the nature of strategic planning practices adopted by public secondary schools in enhancing school performance is compatible with the strategic planning process advocated by the Johnson and Scholes model.