Pioneer Schools Effectiveness and Improvement in Saudi Arabia

This study is the first systematic investigation of school effectiveness (SE) and school improvement (SI) in relation to the Kingdom's ambitious Pioneer Secondary Schools Programme (PSP) introduced in 2000. The study departed from the once traditional approach which relied heavily on quantified test results or achievement scores to determine SE and methods of SI. Instead, this study posed three fundamental research questions and generated lists of identifiable indices of priorities and outlooks of the four respondent groups in relation to SESI. The research shows that, from the perspective of those surveyed and interviewed, much more has to be done in pioneer schools in Saudi Arabia before they can be considered truly effective schools in international terms. Moreover, the discussion of the data generated draws the further conclusion that international educational research on SESI issues points to a much more involved and sophisticated process than is suggested by the priorities and outlook of the respondents of this study in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.