A study investigated the extent that junior secondary school headmasters in Botswana believed their activities in three domains of headmaster responsibility--instructional supervision, school management, and community relations--contributed to improved student performance. A second focus was to compare the ways in which headmasters who differed in their beliefs also differed in the ways they viewed their schools' dynamics. Questionnaires were completed by 88 out of 125 junior secondary headmasters in Botswana, a 70 percent response rate. Cluster analysis found that headmasters differed significantly in their beliefs about the efficacy of their instructional supervision and school management activities in improving their students' achievement levels. Sixty-three percent believed that their performance in instructional supervision and school management activities could improve student achievement. However, the responses reflected a lack of clarity about the headmaster's role in the specific dynamics of the instructional process. Recommendations are made to target training for improving student outputs and to consider criteria other than teacher effectiveness for headmaster selection. As Botswana moves toward decentralization, education may be better served by optimistic headmasters who believe they can make a difference in improving student performance even if they lack clear ideas concerning exactly how to reach that goal. Four tables are included. (Contains 24 references.) (LMI)