Success Stories: A Case Study in Administrator and Teacher Collective Sensemaking Around 1:1 Computer Technology

• In Event: 52.083 - Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: 52.083-12 - Policy and Innovation: Multiple Perspectives on Technology Integration

Abstract

Educational success stories are powerful tools which shape the decisions of policymakers. This paper explores the ways in which these stories are crafted and how they differ among various educational stakeholders. Using administrator and teacher interviews from a case-study of a school district which earned accolades for model implementation of a 1:1 laptop program, this paper uses interview data to explore the variation in collective sensemaking between teachers and administrators in regards to policy purposes and outcomes. With special emphasis on the degree to which participants saw the 1:1 program as fulfilling its goal of promoting inclusive education, the study finds that stakeholder interpretation of policy purposes and outcomes vary, even while relying on common data to support their sensemaking.

Author

• Stacy Gherardi, New Mexico State University