Understanding The Educational Administrator’s Role in a Turbulent Ethnic Education System

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined the performance of superintendents and leaders of the Arab education system in Israel in reducing achievement gaps and promoting curricula that empower and advance students. In-depth interviews were conducted with school governance officials in an attempt to address these key issues: (1) The steps administrators in the Arab education system take to reduce underachievement and empower change agents during crises; (2) Arab school superintendents’ and local government education officers’ assessment of government policies as empowering or disempowering; (3) The extent to which superintendents believe that cultural change is required within existing administrative structures before they can empower school communities to become societal innovators for equity, peace, and renewal. The findings were analyzed according to themes and categories, and examined through the lens of the Turbulence Theory. Results revealed that Arab educational leaders strive to reduce achievement gaps by increasing the curriculum’s relevance to the school community, and balancing the community’s demands for quality education with technocratic policy demands by the Ministry of Education. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.