School Leaders' Sense-Making of Turnaround Policy

• In Event: School Turnaround: Multiple Policy Perspectives

Abstract

This qualitative study of aspiring and then practicing “turnaround” principals examines how they made sense of turnaround as a policy. We use sensemaking theory to analyze participants’ conceptualization and invocation of turnaround. We find that, as aspiring leaders, participants tended to primarily define turnaround as an autocratic style of leadership. At the same time, they also described effective turnaround practices as communal and oriented towards building culture to enhance student achievement. As participants transitioned to lead their own schools, their definitions of turnaround became increasingly amorphous. These findings signal that school leaders may create definitions of turnaround policy that diverge from its formal intentions and goals with implications for policymakers and practitioners alike.

Authors

• Jennie Weiner, University of Connecticut

• Sarah L. Woulfin, University of Connecticut