The purpose of the study was to examine the roles, practices and challenges of educational leadership in government secondary school in Kirkos Sub City, Addis Ababa. To realize this purpose three basic questions related to major situational, institutional factors that affect the effectiveness and practices of educational leadership in secondary schools were raised. The study employed a descriptive survey design that involve the use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches in data gathering and analysis. Data was gathered from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources were 114 teachers, 17 school vice principals, 6 school main principals and 6 Kirkos sub city education officers. Simple random sampling technique was employed to proportionally select teachers fromsix government secondary schoolsnamely ShimelisHabte, MisrakGoh, TemenjaYazh, YetebaberutMemihran, HasayPublic andAbiyotKireswhile purposive sampling was employed to select school principals, school supervisors and educational experts at subcity and woreda levels.To collect the relevant primary data,questioner withclose and open ended questions, interviews and observation were employed. Interview and observation were conducted to triangulate the information obtained through questioner.The quantitative data were first edited, organized, tabulated and then analyzed using five rating scales and mean while qualitative data from interview was narrated and analyzed to support the qualitative analysis. The review of literature focused on leadership in education within this concept, the concept of leadership, theoretical background of leadership, leadership styles, and leadership skills of leaders and managerial functions of school leadership. On the basis of these findings principals are less effective in their leadership due to lack of experience and qualification in the professionand thereby slow its dynamisms. Finally, based on the findings and conclusions, recommendations were made on capacity building and empowering of principals to do their work effectively, in turn, encouraging participatory approach of leadership. Furthermore, Addis Ababa Education Bureau is responsible to give directives and guidelines in the case that whenever shortcomings and gaps are observed and the schools should organized public relations to create school-community links.