Since 2005, education in the Kingdom of Bahrain has undergone major reforms as part of the National Education Reform Project to achieve the goals of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030. The Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA) was created by a Royal Decree as an independent entity established that is responsible for ensuring quality in education and training in the Bahrain. The Directorate of Government Schools Review (DGS) is under the umbrella of BQA and responsible for conducting quality reviews for all Bahraini government schools. Upon successfully completing two cycles of school reviews (review cycle average is 4 years), this article compares the findings of two DGS review cycles. In December 2014, the DGS completed its second review of 206 schools. Generally, the results showed an increase in the polarity of the ratings. Analysis of the results showed the following: In terms of schools' environments, it is generally safe with equal infrastructure and learning resources among most schools; the performance gap between male and female students is widening; the field of technical and commercial education still faces challenges; parental involvement is limited, despite opportunities for participation; and available technology is used inconsistently. In addition, some schools that are judged inadequate face increased challenges to improvement.

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Since 2005, the Kingdom of Bahrain has been undergoing radical educational reforms touching upon systems, educational quality assurance, school improvements, teacher preparation and training, teaching and learning, and vocational education. The present paper focuses on the perceptions of senior teachers (STs)-termed heads of departments in other countries-from the first two schools involved in reforming the secondary educational system in Bahrain in 2005. This paper covers an area in which empirical evidence is lacking and reflects the STs' perceptions and views concerning times of change in Bahrain. STs are vital change agents in any educational reform and are expected to play a crucial role because of the knowledge and experience they possess. This study aims to answer the following research questions: What is the level of understanding of STs concerning how government reforms were introduced to their schools? What are the implications of such knowledge regarding their roles during reforms? A qualitative case study was adopted, and data were collected through field analysis, informal and formal interviews, and a focus group where participants were purposively identified. The consistency in the STs' responses forms the basis for the need to re-evaluate their role during change periods. The findings suggest that perceiving the STs' roles as rational and predictable proved to be incorrect in that the evidence showed variance between what was supposed to occur and what happened in reality. Adherence to Ministry of Education orders was seriously affected by STs' professional judgements and priorities. The evidence suggests that externally imposed change is problematic, and uncertainty is unavoidable.