Exploring Principal Autonomy in the Emirates School Establishment: A Qualitative Case Study

School principals play a critical role in shaping school culture and leading reform. This study examined the degree of autonomy experienced by public school principals in the United Arab Emirates under the Emirates School Establishment (ESE), and explored the challenges they face within a centralized governance system. A qualitative multi-case study design was employed across eight public schools, involving semi-structured interviews with eleven school leaders (ten principals and one cluster manager). Findings are organized around five themes: executive management constraints on school-level decision-making; limited authority in personnel recruitment; the need for targeted leadership preparation to exercise autonomy effectively; restricted financial discretion; and the role of collaborative decision-making processes. Although participants demonstrated strong leadership capacity and commitment to school improvement, centralized structures were perceived to limit timely, context-responsive decision-making. The study concludes that recalibrating principal autonomy at the policy level—while maintaining clear accountability frameworks and strengthening leadership development systems—may enhance school effectiveness and responsiveness within the current governance model.