The imposition of government education policy initiatives and school enactment: uncovering the responses of school principals

Rapid economic, social, political and technological changes in the external environments of education systems put constant pressure on the internal processes and practices of educational systems. Over the last four decades educational systems have become more and more vulnerable to economic, political and social developments. Recent global developments such as the crises in the Arab world and their impact on the refugee crisis; the Brexit crisis; and the introduction of Mercantile law by the US impacting China and the movement of goods around the world are some of the major political developments causing turbulence Taysum and Arar (2018). The impact of crises and the chaos they create has direct and indirect repercussions for education (Arar; Brooks & Bogotch, 2019). Although these political, economic and social disruptions look quite regional, the growing interconnectedness of the world carries the impact of these developments to the global setting at a very fast pace. More importantly these disruptions put constant pressure on education systems to change their governance systems, their administrative structures, and their management and curricular dimensions. In general, the field of education has been experiencing this era of change in a unique way. Key research trends in education such as school effectiveness, school improvement and equity (or social justice) have been demanding more specific reactions from education systems to the trends and developments around the world. Technology integration, curriculum adaptations, structural changes and new approaches to developing teachers are some of the common forms of change enforced by governments on different education systems.