Diverse schools and uneven principal leadership in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

A variety of middle schools has flourished in Saudi Arabia – publicly funded, private, or international in character – as government tries to keep pace with rising family demand. This widening diversity of schools prompts questions over the social-class and ethnic differences of families served, and whether educational quality varies in consequential ways. We first describe the attributes of pupils enrolled in and qualities of 135 Jeddah middle schools, then estimate the extent to which school auspice predicts three elements of school quality (associated with pupil achievement) – length of instructional time, the principal’s focus on instructional rigor, and organizational cohesion among teachers. These estimates take into account pupil attributes, enrollment size, and the adequacy of material inputs. We find that private middle schools serve more advantaged pupils and display higher quality, compared with government-run schools, but no quality advantages for schools run by international sponsors were observed. Levels of instructional materials displayed little relation to the intensity of principal leadership or the social cohesion of teachers inside schools. Implications for equity and government policy are discussed.