Understanding reforms, school reactions to major changes: the case of Israel

ABSTRACT

Two major education system reforms were introduced by Israel’s government in collaboration with the teachers’ unions. These reforms redefine principals’ and teachers’ roles, increasing teachers’ work hours, and the scope of their work. School principals absent from the reform negotiations, are expected to apply the reform, although their work conditions were harmed. This research examines how principals cope with those reforms, and why they sometimes apply them in ways that seem to contradict their interests? Semi-structured interviews with 30 school principals, and 10 schoolteachers, indicated that the reforms have encumbered school principals’ complex tasks. They have little time or ability to thoroughly apply the reforms, responding to multiple stakeholders, political pressures, the exam regime, human resource management, etc. They often ignore policy directives, delegating authority to others, refrain from using certain resources provided by the reforms and allow internal forces to lead, while remaining uninvolved. Conclusions are presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Imposed policies
• reforms
• principals
• workload

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Khalid Arar (PhD) is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership & Higher Education Al-Qasemi Academic College of Education, and he is the Associate editor of International Journal of Leadership in Education. His studies focus on issues of diversity, equity and ethnicity in educational leadership and higher education. His most recent books include Arab Women in Management and Leadership (2013, Palgrave, with Tamar Shapira; Faisal Azaiza and Rachel Hertz Lazarowitz); Higher Education Among the Palestinian Minority in Israel (2016, Palgrave, with Kussai Haj-Yehia).

Emanuel Tamir (PhD) is the Head of the Education Administration Program at Ohalo College of Education in Katzrin Park, Israel. His research focuses on decision-making, educational reforms, the role of the teachers' unions in determining the level of teachers' professionalism and educational change. He is the author of Head Organisation – Post Primary School Teachers' Union Organisation Development Process, Yedioth Ahronoth Books, Tel Aviv [Hebrew].

Jamal Abu-Hussain (PhD) is currently Head of the Graduate Studies of Al Qasemi Academy, an Arab College of Education in Israel. He is an expert in organisation and management development and one of the initiators of the practical model experience at Alqasemi Academy for qualification of student teachers.