شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

The rapid and global growth of the private international school sector has raised demand for qualified school administrators to lead schools in that sector. Many school administrators hired into private international schools enter from national public school systems in other countries. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gather data on the experiences of school leaders working in private international schools in Kuwait. It probed ways those leaders transitioned from their original national education systems to teaching and leadership positions in the private international sector. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with 17 international school leaders (Vice Principals, Principals, School Heads and Superintendent) of private, international schools in Kuwait. These interviews explored how their previous experiences informed their transitions and the challenges they faced when navigating their leadership roles, and their strategic adaptations and sensemaking. Three key challenges for leaders emerged in the interviews: (1) the need to navigate highly ambiguous and uncertain roles; (2) being governed by new bureaucratic and institutional norms in highly transient and transnational spaces; and (3) reconciling their roles as educators with new marketing and business dictates. These challenges echo findings from other studies of leadership in international schools. This dissertation ends with suggestions for further research on the development of support and training for school leaders who transition into private international schools. (Author’s abstract)