Principals' Leadership Roles in Transforming School Culture for Quality Education in Urban Secondary Schools in Ethiopia

The purpose of the study was to investigate the leadership roles needed to transform school culture for quality education. Leadership quality, though it has a strong link to quality education, has not yet been given due attention among researchers, particularly in the Ethiopian context. The study employed qualitative case study methods and it was conducted in secondary schools in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Twenty-eight participants including school principals, teachers and supervisors were selected from four secondary schools in the city. Data were collected through observations, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Documents relevant to the study were also reviewed. Transformational leadership model was used as the theoretical and analytical lens. Findings of the study revealed that problems of education quality are attributed to principals' failure to practice transformational leadership roles in transforming school culture. It is recommended that authorities should equip school principals with knowledge about transformational leadership and its implementation. The research provides new insights by linking transformational leadership to the Ethiopian school culture environments.