Governing by Paradox: Empowerment and Network Bureaucracy in New York City

• In Event: Roundtable Session 116
  In Roundtable Session: Who’s the Boss? Models of Governance and Professionalism

Abstract

Children First Networks (CFNs) of the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) are a unique form of school district instructional and operational support to public schools. They are a small team model of school support, but with a market component as principals choose what network will provide them with support. I argue that CFNs were instituted as a way to 1) establish greater institutional legitimacy and 2) create more isomorphic practices among schools given common accountability procedures. CFNs operate under a guise of being impersonal and objective, but actually facilitate institutional stability—commonly understood objectives, accountability measures, and modes of operation guide local school decision-making.

Author

• Fanon Howell, Teachers College, Columbia University