How Do Arab Students at Higher Education Institutions Perceive the Role of the Arab Principal in Israel in Leading the School to Excellence?

Abstract

In the last two decades, the role of school principals has become more complex regarding school performance and growth toward excellence. While educational researchers and practitioners have largely agreed on the potential impact that principals have on school success, most of the extant literature is limited to Western countries. In the Middle East, and the Arab sector of Israel in particular, little is known regarding how Arab principals lead their schools to excellence. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the role of the Arab principal in Israel in leading the school to excellence. To understand the study problem, mixed-method research was used. Suitable data on the topic was collected from Arab students at higher education institutions from across the Arab sector. A total of 381 Arab students at higher education institutions participated in the survey questionnaires and 69 of them took part in individual interview sessions. Findings from survey responses with 381 students, in addition to insights from interview feedback from 73 students from across the Arab sectors showed that Arab principals have a central task of supporting their schools and ensuring they become successful. The principals lead their schools to excellence by initiating and implementing relevant curricula. In addition, principals lead schools to excellence by influencing decision-making regarding effective teaching and learning. Another important observation was that Arab principals create school excellence through collaborative school, family, and community engagement. Despite these findings, principals experience hurdles that might hinder their efforts to lead schools to excellence. Part of the challenges includes a lack of sufficient resources like learning materials, libraries, financial allocation, and lack of workshops. Also, there are inadequate opportunities for professional and skills development to ensure Arab principals have relevant leadership qualities that enable them to lead their schools to excellence.