This timely, international volume presents case studies on the current landscape of educational policy and reform across the diverse and dynamic Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It reflects a broad spectrum of political, socio-economic, cultural, and governance contexts, shedding light on both shared trends and region-specific divergences.
MENA region contributors provide insights on how educational leaders and administrators address socio-political challenges, while upholding a commitment to principles of social justice, equity, and political inclusion. The chapters explore the influence of recent political upheavals on local educational leadership and governance, presenting lessons learned in relation to geographic and culturally specific policy-making, reform strategies, and systemic transformation. The book also examines how political and socio-economic conditions affect educational reforms at national and subnational levels, recognizing how school leaders, parents, communities, and policymakers collectively shape innovation and meaningful change initiatives.
This book will be of particular interest to academics, postgraduate students, and researchers in the fields of educational leadership, administration, policy, and reform. It will also serve as a valuable resource for policymakers and education professionals engaged in leading and managing change in complex educational environments.
This timely, international volume presents case studies on the current landscape of educational policy and reform across the diverse and dynamic (MENA) region. It reflects a broad spectrum of political, socio-economic, cultural, and governance contexts, shedding light on both shared trends and region-specific divergences.
Contents
About the Editors
List of contributors
Acknowledgements
1. Educational Policy, Reforms, and Change in the Middle East and North
Africa / Editorial Introduction
Part I: In Search of Equity and Quality in Education
2. Implementing and Improving Inclusive Strategies for Equity in Education:
Politics as Praxis in Turkish Educational Environment
3. Inclusive Education Policies in the Southwest Asia/North African Region:
Toward Decolonizing the Concept
4. Digitalization of Education in Morocco: Teachers Perspective
5. Recontextualizing Global Educational Policies into Tunisian Curricular
Reforms: Tensions, Contradictions and Outcomes
6. School Turnaround in Centralized Systems of Education: A Case Study of a
Bahrain Public School
7. Leading Homeschooling in the Gulf Region: Insights and Suggested Model
8. Barriers to Effective School Leadership Policies: Insights from Selected
Arab Countries
Part II: Chaos, Conflict and Educational Policy
9. Developing Higher Education Policies in the Jordanian and Saudi
Universities: Supporting the Shift towards Entrepreneurial Education
10. Proposed Policies to Promote Higher Education in Yemen and the Troubled
Regions in the Middle East and North Africa: Challenges and Prospects
11. The Path to a Knowledge-Based Economy through Reforming Public K-12
Education: Educational Policies and Educator Professional Development in
Saudi Arabia
12. Educational Policies in Wars, Conflict and Emergencies: Cases from the
MENA Region
13. A Critical Political Economy Analysis of Education Policy and Leadership
in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq: The Intersection of Class, Capital, and
Identity
14. Private and International School Policies in Arab Countries: Rethinking
Educational Equity and Cultural Identity
15. The 100-Year Journey of Gender Equality in Educational Policymaking in
Türkiye (1923-2023): Advancements in Turkish Womens Education
Part III: Results and Conclusions
16. Educational Policy, Reforms, and Change in the Middle East and North
Africa: Takeaways and Prospects
Khalid Arar is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the College of Education, Texas State University, USA.
Selahattin Turan is Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the College of Education, Bursa Uluda University, Türkiye.
Mohammed Elmeski is Senior Education Policy Advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister, Morocco.
Seher can is Assistant Professor of Educational Administration and Policy, Pamukkale University, Türkiye.
