The focus of this Study is The practice of School-Based Management (SBM) in government secondaryrnand preparatory schools of yem special woreda, SNNPR. The Objective is to assess and describe thernbasic actions that schools’ management practice to build effective educational management andrnthe current status of SBM. It also suggests that these practices are context specific andrndifferentiated among schools. Three key-research questions were formulated. The study used arnmixed methods of data collection. In each school, semi-structured interviews, non-participantrnobservations and document checking were conducted. Data analysis was conducted in twornstages: within-case and cross-case analysis. Analysis revealed that SBM practices usually startsrnby involving teachers and transforming the school into a professional-learning-community wherernlearning and improvement as practiced by teachers and students. Consequently, SBM practicernwere based on developing strategies that are unique to each school given its context, internalrnmanagement predispositions and culture that ensure sustainable improvement for eachrnparticular school. This research result on SBM and leadership provides a visual display ofrninteraction between internal capacity, culture and external context. Consequently, practicingrnSchool-Based Management provided opportunity for building the capacity for schoolrnimprovement programs that enabled internal and external forces of change and development.