Headteachers Response to the Marketing Concept

Abstract

This book assesses the role of experience in ideas of head teachers about marketing their schools and examines the freedom of heads in defining their own role, interpreting the "Market,' and assessing the impact of changing national policies in education between 1983-1993 in England. It also identifies the methods used by head teachers as marketers of their schools and assesses the role of the media in school 'marketing'. The book is important for historical understanding of education, in understanding the challenges encountered by the head teacher in the process of 'marketing the school and finding a personal strategy for its pursuit. It also has importance not only in terms of the school as an organization and how its members cope with the 'system', but also in terms of the decision-making structure in the school and in the wider community. It provides gainful insights into various cultural, sociological, economic and political struggles within the educational sector. It stimulates an in-depth look at the impact of 'marketing' in primary schools of various kinds and thus shifts the attention which is currently concentrated on secondary education. In the concluding chapter of this book, I have also provided a reflection on the situation in Kenya and the relevance of the findings in this book, to further research on the role of headship in Kenyan schools. I look forward to seeing other scholars of education take up these suggestions and carry out extensive studies on the role and effectiveness of the heads of educational institutions in Kenya.