The Role of Autonomy and Accountability in Implementing and Assimilating ICT in Elementary Schools in Israel’s Arab Sector

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which the autonomy and accountability of principals, ICT coordinators, and teachers affect the successful implementation and assimilation of ICT in Arab sector elementary schools in Israel. The findings show strong positive correlations between the level of autonomy and accountability of principals (rp=0.763, p<0.001), coordinators (rp=0.588, p<0.001), and teachers (rp=0.770, p<0.001) and successful implementation and assimilation of IT in schools. The conclusions emphasize the leading role of ICT coordinator as an agent of change, the necessity for collaboration between academy and school in order to create an environment for proper assimilating ICT into schools’ vision and reality, as well as the importance of personal empowerment in ICT leaders to foster a new form of ICT leadership.