How vocational school principals perceive their role

This study examines how vocational school principals in Israel perceive their role. A qualitative methodology was applied, with data derived from semi-structured interviews of 22 vocational school principals. We adopted a thematic analysis approach to analyze the interview transcripts, revealing three major themes: (1) the principals’ professional paths and motivations; (2) the principals’ perceptions of vocational school as a space of marginality and its ramifications; (3) the impact of the vocational students’ marginality on the principal’s role. The article discusses the principals’ descriptions of their role in the context of the ‘coalition of despair’, highlighting how education and welfare professionals’ experiences parallel those of the marginalized populations they serve. Moreover, the impact of the principals’ perception of their role in social inequality is addressed.