Educational Values and Government Policy: A Complex Interplay

• In Event: 60.017 - Social Justice Matters in School Leadership and Management: Research-Based Illustrations From the United Kingdom

Abstract

Objectives or purposes: This paper analyses the way school principals in England mediate government reforms to enact their own moral purpose. The paper focuses specifically on the influence of the principals’ personal and professional biographies in shaping their educational values and beliefs and, subsequently, their leadership practice and the organizational structures they establish to mediate policy.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework: We adopt the perspective that policy enactment processes are complex and dynamic; must be understood in the contexts of use and in connection with the values and capacities of educational stakeholders and actors at all levels of the system; and that they need to be interpreted and re-contextualized (Ball et al 2011

Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry: The study employed a longitudinal, mixed methods design to investigate the interface of reform at macro (country), meso (school) and micro (classroom) levels and explore how government reforms (mandatory and non-mandatory) are received and mediated by leaders at all levels of the school. A 20-month case study of four secondary schools for students aged 11 – 18 years was undertaken. The data collection sought to understand the ways in which government policy is interpreted and mediated within the wider context of the values that underpin the organizational structures and culture of their schools. The four schools can be described as high achieving in terms of student attainment and by their categorization by Ofsted, the school inspection service in England, although they serve communities of contrasting socio-economic contexts.

Data sources, evidence, objects, materials or the equivalent for theoretical or methodological papers/presentations: Data was gathered via surveys, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders across the participating schools including principals, senior and middle leaders, classroom teachers, students and governors.

Results and/or substantiated conclusions or warrants for arguments/point of view: The findings reveal the ways government policies are mediated is underpinned by the educational beliefs and values held by the principals. These form the basis for decisions about how educational policies are received and subsequently shaped. The personal biographies of the principals were identified as key contributory factors to their educational beliefs, values and practices and, consequently, the ways in which policy is mediated. Such personal narratives differ widely between the case studies and were clearly articulated by the principals when discussing their leadership practices. These narratives also serve to indicate the extent to which the school principals’ values converge and diverge with wider government ideology. Focusing on the common thread of equity and inclusion that underpins the values held by all four principals, examples of organizational structures, leadership practices and mediation of specific policies are presented.

Scientific or scholarly significance of the study or work: The research presents new empirical knowledge about how principals mediate government reforms and the complex interplay and inherent tension between maintaining moral purpose and addressing government policy. As such, the findings suggest a more nuanced picture of policy enactment than has been previously found.

Authors

• Paul Armstrong, Institute of Education-London

• Qing Gu, University of Nottingham

• Christopher W. Day, University of Nottingham