Networked for Instructional Leadership: Ties Between First-Year Principals, Their School Sites, School District, and Environment

• In Event: Roundtable Session 18.
  In Roundtable Session: The Roles, Career Paths, and Behaviors of Educational Leaders

Abstract

This study examines the nature and characteristics of the informal social networks of first-year principals. This qualitative cross-case study uses social network theory to examine the mechanisms by which ideas move through the current education reform environment and into schools. The yearlong study is of six first-year principals, trained in three contrasting preparation programs. Findings point to the importance of formal structure on informal networks, strong ties made with like-minded people from the same principal preparation program, and strong ties made with people with context-specific expertise. This research contributes to research on social network theory by expanding the current understanding of the relationship between formal structures and informal networks; and on the role of principal preparation programs in social networks.

Author

• Jessica Rigby, Vanderbilt University - Peabody College