Mediating Social Identity: Leadership Approaches and Interschool Relationships at Co-Located School Sites

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

Abstract

Large urban districts across the country are facing a relatively new challenge: school site co-location. Social Identity Theory posits that the mere existence of two groups within close proximity to one another may trigger negative interactions between schools, such as a sense of competition and negative outgroup stereotyping. Through multiple case-study analyses, this paper investigates relationships between schools at three co-located sites in Los Angeles, with particular attention paid to understanding how school-level leaders might mediate the constraints of social identity to build more collaborative, positive school campuses. Findings indicate that leaders at co-located schools have a notable impact on the professional relationships developed between their staffs.

Author

• Alice Huguet, Northwestern University