Abstract
This paper outlines a research plan to measure the performance of secondary schools (SS). Following a literature review, it is argued that the performance of SS measured with the help of a composite index of students' academic achievements, students' personal development, quality and effectiveness of teaching, learning and curriculum implementation, support and guidance for students, and the quality and effectiveness of leadership, management and governance, can be measured by taking account of internal and external factors impacting on performance. Internal factors include growth plans, implicit and explicit powers held by Head of School (HoS), organization structure, leadership style, and HR policies. External factors include demand for organizations' services, competitive conditions, political, economic, social, legal and technical environment. We present a conceptual model to be empirically tested along these lines with theoretical underpinnings from the leader-member exchange theory (LMX) and the principal-agent model (PAM).