Creative Bridging: School Principals' Sense-Making of Their Leadership Role in Large-Scale Education Reforms

• In Event: Leaders' Decision Making in the Front Lines

Abstract

Balancing between contradicting education reform demands and school interests, principals make sense of their leadership role while bridging and buffering external pressures. This study explores school principals' sense-making of bridging and buffering various demands in the face of a large-scale national education reform. Data were collected through a heterogenic sampling via 59 in-depth interviews with elementary and middle school principals. Findings indicate three major considerations through which principals develop a creative bridging strategy while re-constructing their role-identity as local policymakers: using discretion, caring for teachers, and adjusting to the school reality. These findings expand the existing knowledge about school principals' creative bridging strategies in the face of large-scale education reforms.

Authors

• Sherry Ganon-Shilon, Bar Ilan University

• Haim Shaked, Bar Ilan Univerity

• Chen Schechter, Bar-Ilan University