A Framework for Leading Emerging Education Systems “At the Edge of Chaos”

• In Event: Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Emergence, Change, and Improvement

Abstract

When a state government funds a large, central server based shared service innovation between urban and rural school systems without constraints on the partners, what happens? How do leaders, teachers, vendors and students organize their plans and implementation decisions for learning and engaging shared services? This multiple case study traced the emergence of influence networks across classrooms, schools and districts in the southern half of a state as they shared professional development, teaching and learning and administrative information over new computer networks. The findings are startling –that despite a deep conviction to “community of practice” principles, leaders employ bureaucratic-functionalist thinking to organize an education innovation project. An analysis of this complex network data offers a framework for leading emergent education organizations.

Author

• Eugene Gary Kowch, University of Calgary