Exploring Informal Leaders' Perceptions of School Reform: A Social Network Approach

• In Event: 70.015 - Leveraging Social Networks Among School Leaders

Abstract

Traditional studies of education leadership focus on formal leaders who have official leadership roles. However, increasingly scholars have been considering the role “informal” leaders (e.g. teacher leaders) play in educational change. Though informal leaders may lack administrative positions, they are prominent in networks of professional interaction. In this mixed-method, single-case study, I use a combination of sociometric survey data (n=43) and interview data (n=17) to explore how informal leaders perceive school change initiatives. I find that informal leaders find changes made to professional working conditions more salient than other staff members, who find structural changes more salient. Additionally, informal leaders are more likely to describe school change as either positive or negative compared to other staff members.

Author

• David Gilbert Sherer, Harvard University