The Role of Department Culture and Social Capital in the Adoption of School-Wide Reform

• In Event: Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Turning Around Underperforming Schools: Unpacking the Role of Teachers, Schools, and Communities

Abstract

In this mixed-methods, comparative case study explores the relationship between departmental adoption of a school-wide curricular reform and the established culture of each department. We draw from the accumulated research on the role of academic departments in school-wide reform efforts and frame our analysis both quantitatively, through survey data, and qualitatively, through the use of discourse and social capital frameworks. Specifically, we use video and audio recorded department meetings and teacher interviews to explore and identify each department’s culture as established and sustained by the informal and formal leaders within departments. Findings suggest that departments, and the specific cultures that exist within them, can determine the extent to which school-wide reform initiatives are adopted within a school.

Authors

• Paul S Sutton, Pacific Lutheran University

• Randy Knuth, Knuth Research, Inc.