Saudi Arabia’s Education Reform: How School Leaders Can Foster Positive Change

Abstract

With Saudi Arabia’s nationwide school reforms through the Vision 2030 program, it is important for the country’s teachers to be able to successfully implement change.  Unfortunately, many education systems around the globe struggle with reform due to teacher resistance stemming from such issues as a lack of resources and insufficient support from school leaders.  In this study, four female teachers in Saudi Arabia responded to open-ended interview questions regarding the challenges of implementing school reforms and the ways in which school leaders help the teachers navigate reforms successfully.  Data revealed themes in the teachers’ descriptions of reform challenges to include: too many responsibilities placed on teachers, a lack of resources, and a lack of shared decision-making.  In participant descriptions of the ways school leaders can be more effective, themes included providing more guidance and encouragement, collaborating and communicating with teachers, having awareness of unique needs at each school, providing more resources for implementing change, and showing more appreciation for teacher efforts. Keywords: Teachers, Leadership, Reforms, Saudi Arabia, Vision 203