International Journal of Social Science Studi

International Journal of Social Science Studies

Vol. 3, No. 3; May 2015

ISSN 2324-8033 E-ISSN 2324-8041

Published by Redfame Publishing

URL: http://ijsss.redfame.com

169

Leadership Role of School Superintendents in Saudi Arabia

Mohamed A. Almannie 1

1 Professor Education Administration, College of Education, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia

Correspondence: Mohamed A. Almannie, Professor Education Administration, College of Education, King Saud

University, Saudi Arabia.

Received: February 25, 2015 Accepted: March 17, 2015 Available online: April 21, 2015

doi:10.11114/ijsss.v3i3.780 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v3i3.780

Abstract

This study examines the practice of school superintendents in Saudi Arabia in five roles as seen by education

supervisors within school district offices. The purpose of the study is to examine the leadership of school

superintendents in these five roles: work environment, rules and regulations, implementation of technology,

accountability, and professional development of the education supervisors in school districts. The study sample consists

of 276 education supervisors working in 30 school districts. The study reveals that the respondents (education

supervisors) perceived leadership roles enacted to a low degree for the five roles. The final results show that school

superintendents’ leadership needs to be developed in order to provide a high quality of education, by improving the

selection of superintendents and offering better training in the five roles. The Ministry of Education should decentralize

major decisions to school superintendents so that they can be active in leading change and perform leadership roles in

their school districts.

Keywords: leadership role, education office, school district, education supervisor, Saudi Arabia

1. Introduction

The education system in Saudi Arabia started in 1925 under the Directorate of Education, which changed to the

Ministry of Education in 1954. Girls’ education was officially established in 1960 with a separate agency, and the two

systems unified in 2003 under the Ministry of Education (Ahmed Rumi-Amer Suwadani, 2013). There have been rapid

changes due to the continuous development of technology and competitive markets around the world, and highly

qualified educational leaders are needed to meet the challenges posed by these changes. The development of education

depends on local school district officials, for they have close supervision of education. The education system in Saudi

Arabia has continued its quantitative and qualitative development through consecutive development plans. There is a

remarkable growth, by all standards, as a result of the policy of free education for all citizens. The number of students

enrolled in public education has reached over 5 million.

According to the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, the upward trend of budgetary allocations highlights the Saudi

government’s conviction that education is the cornerstone of sustained economic development, as it enhances human

capital and knowledge, which are both essential ingredients for economic growth and social cohesion. Public spending

for education is estimated at 5.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), comparable with the U.K. (5.3

percent), Germany (4.3 percent), and South Korea (4.2 percent). Yet, although the budget for education is increasing,

the quality of education lags, as Saudi students do not rank highly on international examinations such as PISA.

The Ministry of Education decentralized major operational tasks to school districts. The director of a school district,

called the “school superintendent” in many countries, is considered a very important position in the school system of

Saudi Arabia. The director is responsible for the supervision and implementation of policy, planning, and programs in

the school district.

Although major steps have been taken toward the decentralization of management of education, an analysis of the

Organizational Guide for the Administration of School Districts in Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Education, 2012) shows

that the tasks and duties of the director of the school district are more administrative in nature rather than geared toward

the development of local schools.

With all the efforts and high budgets to provide free formal education for both men and women and increasing adult

literacy rates, school leaders face new challenges, many of which are the result of advances in information and

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170

communication technologies, and increased globalization and competition among nations, which has created a demand

for skills that Saudi education needs to promote (Tatweer, 2010).

Therefore, school superintendents face challenges because of their limited leadership roles for the implementation of

policies and regulation. Most of them are not prepared to carry out leadership responsibilities for the development of

education in their school district. The development of learning is not embedded in the educational system of school

districts, for school superintendents tend to act more as mangers than educational leaders.

Tatweer (2010) indicated that the education system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia faces new challenges, many of

which are the result of advances in information and communication technologies, and increased globalization and

competition among nations, which has created demands for skills that Saudi education needs to promote.

Research shows that schooling centers around two basic functional domains: teaching and learning, and organizing for

teaching and learning. Over time, these functions became largely segregated by role, with teachers assuming nearly all

responsibility for the former and administrators taking responsibility for the latter (Prestine & Nelson, 2005). The case

in Saudi Arabia is that organizing for teaching and learning overcomes the domain of teaching and learning, for

decentralization and accountability are not fully embedded in the system of the school district. The literature shows that

in school-based management (SBM), decentralizing decision making to the local level brings decision making closer to

the people so that their preferences can be better reflected in policy (Besley & Coate, 2003); however, the schools in

Saudi Arabia and many developing countries cannot be described as using SBM because school districts are not

involved in the development of learning process at local schools. Moreover, stakeholders’ involvement in the

development of schools is very limited.

Al-omrani (1992) suggested that secondary school principals in Jordan be assigned a special role in the education

administration arena. Principals should also be more involved in the educational decision-making process and should be

trained to provide better quality of education. Botha (2007, p. 39) indicated that effective SBM encourages schools to become self-managing systems with improved performance that pursue long-term school effectiveness in a changing

environment. SBM includes stakeholders’ active involvement and participation in the self-management of schools,

which ultimately has an influence on decision making; therefore, educators should realize the importance of

stakeholders’ involvement in education and value their ideas and contributions.

Most analysts argue that more successful districts are able to balance centralized expectations, accountability, and

resource management with school-level flexibility support that enables school personnel to adapt district goals and

plans to the circumstances of their schools with appropriately individualized district support (Fullan et al., 2004;

Hightower et al., 2002).

In order for SBM to be effective in Saudi Arabia, there is a need for further decentralization for school districts, as well

as more authority for school superintendents to be active in the development process of schools and to provide a better

environment for engaging stakeholders in school participation (Botha, 2007). The issue in Saudi Arabia is that, although

decentralization is recognized and preferred by officials in the Ministry, in practice, there is no balance between

centralization and decentralization.

The Ministry of Education established the General Agency of School Districts to raise the standards of school districts

in terms of performance indicators, which are now implemented on a low scale in some school districts. Yet other major

steps still need to be taken toward the professional development of school superintendents, decentralization of education,

and more effective outcomes in education. Therefore, the objective of this study is to shed light on the leadership role of

school superintendents for the purpose of achieving better quality of education at the local level.

The structure of school districts in Saudi Arabia consists of three levels: 13 school districts are considered “general

directorates,” which report directly to the Deputy Minister of Education. The general school districts form several

intermediate-level school districts called “administrations of education,” which report to the general directorate, and

there are also small school offices of education districts called “education offices,” which report to the administration of

education.

An earlier study about education districts (Al-Salloom, 1974) indicated that there is a relationship between school

district size in Saudi Arabia and the administrative power and authority exercised in the district: the smaller the school

district is in both area and number of schools, teachers, and students, the more administrative power and authority is

exercised; conversely, the larger the school district is in area and size, the less administrative power and authority.

Recent data show that school districts have more authority and responsibilities, but the organization of teaching and

learning still higher than the domain of teaching and learning.

Anderson, Mascall, Stiegelbauer, and Park (2012) demonstrated variability in district orientation and the capacity to

understand school needs to improve performance; their findings suggest that the process of professional learning

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171

communities (PLCs) helped change school districts by creating high-performing collaborative teams, developing a

district-wide sense of efficacy, and emphasizing the use of data to improve education. However, in order for this to

occur, the superintendent must be a highly visible actor in the process of change and must be decidedly engaged in the

majority of visioning and mission-setting activities.

Horton and Martin (2013) reported that board members, administrators (both central office and building-level), and

teachers agreed that PLCs provided staff with additional tools to positively influence student achievement. For this to

happen, the superintendent must be actively engaged in the processes. Evidence also suggests that the process of PLCs

has helped change school districts by creating high-performing collaborative teams, developing a district-wide sense of

efficacy, and emphasizing the use of data to improve instruction. However, in order for this to occur, the superintendent

must be a highly visible actor in the process of change and must be decidedly engaged in the majority of visioning and

mission-setting activities.

2. Education Supervisors

An education supervisor is defined by the Ministry of Education as an expert in his/her field of study who helps

teachers develop professional skills and solve educational problems they face, in addition to improving teaching

methods to guide the educational process in the right direction (MOE, 1998),

Education supervisors play an important role in the development of education in a school district. The superintendent

cannot perform his/her duties in the development of education without the education supervisor’s evaluation reports

following visits to schools; therefore, the development of education depends mainly on the education supervision office

of the school district.

The main selection criteria for education supervisors are as follows:

1. Hold at least a B.S. degree in education with a minimum of a “C” average

2. Have working experience in teaching for at least 4 years

3. Have an evaluation of “excellent” or higher in teaching for the last 4 years

4. Have the ability to communicate and influence others

5. Follow new innovations in the relevant field.

3. Qualifications of School Superintendents

The school district superintendent is the essential element for the development of schools and is considered the face of

the district. Although superintendents in Saudi Arabia are most responsible for the success of the district, they are not

accountable for failures. Superintendents spend most of their daily work time on administrative and paper matters rather

than on the development of education and future planning. The minimum qualification for school superintendents in

government schools is a B.S. degree; a Master’s degree or Ph.D. is not required.

There are 303 international schools in Saudi Arabia, and their school superintendents have higher qualifications than

those in public schools, as they are required to have an advanced degree in education (e.g., a Ph.D. or Ed.D.) and meet

the following criteria (International Schools Group [ISG], 2012):

 A minimum of five years demonstrated success in leading an educational organization to greater levels of

achievement and success

 Experience in the development of organizational capacity

 Strong knowledge of the U.S. curriculum

 International experience preferred

Superintendents are also required to have personal qualifications such as “integrity, fairness, transparency and

trustworthiness,” to “promote a collaborative working style,” and to be “problem solver[s] with proven track record[s]

of successful leadership.”

Superintends of public schools obtain professional development through conventional methods and training sessions

locally and abroad. Although the Ministry of Education spends millions of dollars on professional development for

superintendents, school principals, and teachers, there are no measures of the output of training programs on a national

level. Hess and Kelly (2005) indicated that the current procedures and management of education cannot produce

exceptional leaders with unique skill sets to serve as effective school superintendents. In order to lead today’s schools,

principals must have the capacity to lead. The King Abdullah Project for the Development of Public Education in Saudi

Arabia (Tatweer, 2012) aims to develop public education in general and leadership in schools in particular by providing

professional development to teachers and school administrators. However, the project is still in its initial stages, and

there is more concentration on resource management than on the development of leadership capacity to improve

education at the school level.

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172

Superintendents can act as educational leaders by focusing on professional development related to instructional issues

and basing principal evaluations on instructional improvement. The superintendent’s role can be strengthened by having

universities revise their leadership preparation programs to provide district leaders with practical knowledge and skills (Lashway, 2003). Districts appear to have relatively weak processes and systems for finding, sharing, and using relevant

research (Cooper & Levin, 2013). The effectiveness of the management of Resource Program Centers at the school

district level is moderate (Omran, 2010).

Alsobiae (2009) investigated the important leadership roles of administrators of education (superintendents) in Saudi

Arabia. They are as follows: 1) motivating staff in the school district, 2) practicing distributed leadership, 3) building

and developing strategies in collaboration with staff, 4) developing strategies for the development of the school district,

5) developing infrastructure for change management, and 6) building a culture for change. Preparation, competencies,

and dispositions enhance effective leadership. Therefore, effectiveness must begin with a quality preparation program

that offers opportunities for participants to understand theory as well as experience the practical aspects of leading a

school (Green, 2013). Abaalkhail (2013) emphasized that universities and other educational institutes should plan and

allocate required budgets for the implementation and maintenance of all aspects of quality in education.

4. Problem of the Study

The idea of the study originated from the author teaching a doctoral level course on the Administration of Education

Districts. There are many aspects to be investigated about the leadership roles of superintendents. The role of

superintendents has become increasingly demanding and requires a new type of leadership. Algarni and Male (2014)

concluded that to implement pedagogical leadership appropriately, leaders in the Saudi educational context need, in

addition to flexibility and autonomy, to be offered more training programs, which should focus on important areas that

have a direct influence on learning and teaching, development, group dynamics, organizational theory, and various

teaching approaches; give leaders more freedom; and encourage their creativity to exercise their skills and influence

appropriately in the context for the benefit of the learning environment. Therefore, the study focused on five areas

related to the learning environment that have relative importance for leadership roles in changing schools in the districts.

These roles relate to the following: work environment, participation and communication, technology implementation,

professional development of education supervisors, and accountability.

The new accountability system focuses on performance rather than compliance with regulations. It is noticed that the

role of superintendents in Saudi Arabia consists of more managerial tasks and paperwork than educational development

of the schools in the district. This study is concerned with examining this issue. The study will answer the following

questions:

1. What is the leadership role of superintendents in facilitating the work environment and collaboration and participation

in decision making?

2. What is the leadership role of superintendents in technology implementation and accountability?

3. What is the leadership role of superintendents in the professional development of education supervisors?

5. Research Method

The study used two instruments. A questionnaire was designed to examine five leadership roles of superintendents. The

questionnaire was distributed to education supervisors from 30 school districts in Saudi Arabia, with the sample

consisting of 276 education supervisors. The other instrument consisted of interviews with 22 education supervisors

attending the training program at the College of Education at King Saud University in the spring semester 2015.

Education supervisors were chosen for this study because their tasks and duties are mainly for the improvement of

school education, and they can give better perceptions of the leadership roles for the development of education at the

district level than other district employees.

Twenty-two education supervisors were interviewed about superintendents regarding the following:

1. the relation between the tasks and duties of school superintendents and their leadership role

2. the five roles investigated in the study

The interviews supported the results of the questionnaire:

The participants answered each item of the questionnaire by indicating either a high or low degree of agreement, and

their responses were analyzed by frequencies and percentage.

Table 1 indicates that the education supervisors generally had low agreement that the factors were present in the work

environment of their school district: 77% of respondents expressed a low degree of agreement that there were clear

policies for motivating education supervisors, and 70% expressed a low degree of agreement that there were clear

standards for the evaluation of education supervisors.

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Table 1. Work Environment in the School District Office

Degree of Agreement

High

Degree

% Low

Degree

%

Clear policy and procedures 121 44 155 56

Clear vision in the office 121 44 155 56

Participation in the vision and mission 117 42 159 58

Clear policies for motivating education supervisors 63 23 213 77

Clear standards for evaluation of education supervisors 82 30 194 70

Table 2. Participation and Communication in the School District Office

Degree of agreement

High degree % low degree %

There is effective communication in school district office. 178 64 98 36

There is electronic communication with education supervisors. 181 66 95 34

Education supervisors participate in the decision making of the

office.

82 30 194 69

The plans and suggestion of education supervisors are taken into

consideration.

107 39 169 61

Distinguished education supervisors are motivated. 91 33 185 67

The school district office makes use of feedback from education

supervisors for the development of schools.

83 30 193 70

Table 2 shows that although there was a relative higher communication degree of agreement about the items in relation

to the school district office, there was low degree of agreement that education supervisors participated in decision

making (69%), that their feedback was taken into consideration for the development of schools (70%), and that

distinguished education supervisors were motivated (67%). Further, 69% of the respondents expressed a low degree of

agreement that they participated in decision making.

Table 3. Technology implementation

Degree of agreement

High degree % Low

degree

%

Integration of technology into the curriculum and management is part of

the office plan.

133 48 143 52

The office depends on many technology resources for the development

creativity of the employees.

77 28 199 72

There is an internal network to be used by education supervisors. 106 38 170 62

Email is used for communication between education supervisors. 209 76 67 24

WhatsApp is used for work duties. 209 76 67 24

The office integrates technology into education supervision. 155 56 121 44

Table 3 shows that there was a relative low use of technology in school district offices and higher use of technology for

WhatsApp and emails, which do not require high infrastructure and training. Most of the school districts did not have an

internal network to be used by school supervisors.

Table 4. Professional Development of Education Supervisors

Degree of agreement

High

degree

% Low

degree

%

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174

There is an adequate facility for the education supervisors to

engage in research activities.

47 17 229 83

There is motivation for employees who follow new trends in

education.

80 29 196 71

There is encouragement for teamwork. 130 47 146 53

There is a yearly plan for the professional development of

education supervisors.

72 26 204 74

Training programs are designed for the professional

development of school principals and teachers.

86 31 190 69

Education supervisors are encouraged to use modern methods

in education.

88 32 188 68

Management of the office encourages education supervisors to

enroll in specialized training programs.

116 42 160 58

Table 4 shows that the majority of the education supervisors perceived low professional development in the school

district.

Table 5. Accountability

Degree of agreement

High

degree

% Low

degree

%

There is a system of rewards for distinguished employees. 44 16 232 84

Every employee in the office knows his/her duties and rights. 88 32 188 68

There is fairness in distributing duties to education supervisors. 110 40 166 60

The office manager discusses performance with education

supervisors.

99 36 177 64

Every employee in the office is accountable for his/her tasks. 113 41 163 59

Evaluations based on standards are applied to all employees. 83 30 193 70

Table 5 shows that accountability is not implemented to a high degree in school districts, for the Ministry of Education

did not embed it in the system of education in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the superintendents cannot practice their roles as

leaders without having employees accountable for their tasks.

6. Discussion

According to the King Abdullah Project for the Development of Public Education (Tatweer, 2012), there are major

efforts to develop leadership at the school level in order to initiate SBM, but the developments are still in the initial

stages and will be limited because the emphasis is still on the centralization of decisions, although there have been some

positive developments toward decentralization, and more significantly than before the Tatweer project. The past

decentralization reforms in Saudi Arabia connected directly to provide education for all and focused more on mobilizing

resources than on improving instructional quality.

All attempts at the development of instruction and learning at public schools in Saudi Arabia are weak in moving

responsibility to local districts. Superintendents of government schools still are not authorized to make decisions

regarding the development of learning at schools because they lack leadership roles for change; moreover, motivation,

employee motivation in decision making, feedback, and accountability are still practiced only to low degrees. The

interviews with 22 education supervisors support the results of the study. In order for decentralization attempts giving

decision making power to local school districts to be successful, there should be investment in professional training for

school superintendents and principals in the five areas investigated in this study.

7. Conclusion

The survey of research shows that superintendents have leadership roles in the development of school districts, and this

study reveals that the respondents indicated low degrees of agreement regarding all of the five roles investigated. The

overall results indicate that education supervisors perceive the leadership role of school superintendents as low. This

may be due to the centralized system of the Ministry of Education and lack of qualified leadership of school

superintendents.

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175

There is a very important implication of the study for the development of school superintendents in all of the roles

investigated (i.e., work environment at the school district, participation and communication, technology implementation,

professional development of education supervisors and accountability). Therefore, training programs should be

designed in these areas to provide increased leadership roles and develop the ability of school superintendents to lead

changes in education at the district level.

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