School principals’ sense-making of their leadership role during reform implementation

In the face of the dynamic tension between internal goals and external reform demands, school
principals’ role has become increasingly more complex and their sense-making more crucial. Yet,
research has paid little attention to the significant role principals perform as sense makers in local reform implementation processes. This study explores high school principals’ perceptions and enactment of and for their role in the implementation of a national education reform. Through a sense-making lens, this qualitative study explores principals’ considerations while they perceive and enact their role within a national reform. This study investigates data from interviews with 60 Israeli high school principals implementing the national reform in state (Jewish and Arab sectors) and religious-state schools from all school districts. Data analysis has yielded three major themes: (a) caring for teachers’ needs; (b) preserving leadership discretion; and (c) adjusting to school reality. Results demonstrate the principal’s role as an active sense-maker in times of education reforms. Exploring principals’ perceptions within the framework of sense-making may contribute to the scholarship and to the practice of the complex leadership role in times of national reforms.