The Role of School Leadership in Employing Strategic Planning to Achieve Arabic Language Curriculum Quality for Non-Native Speakers in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

This paper addresses a critically important educational topic within the United Arab Emirates — the role that school leadership plays in using strategic planning as a genuine, working tool to improve the quality of Arabic language curricula for non-native speakers. The central question is both practical and urgent: to what extent does effective school leadership actually make a difference in curriculum quality through strategic planning, particularly in the culturally and linguistically diverse school environments that define education in the UAE?

The paper draws on a critical analysis of Arabic and international educational literature, organized around three interconnected variables: school leadership, strategic planning, and curriculum quality, examined alongside official UAE Ministry of Education documents. The researcher concludes that these three variables form a deeply integrated relationship, and that developing school leadership in strategic planning is a necessary entry point for elevating Arabic curriculum quality. The paper presents seven analytical findings and fourteen practical proposals across three levels: national, school, and research.