The Implementation of Design Thinking in K–12 Schools: Implications for Leadership and Educational Change

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Transforming Schools Through Community-Driven Organizational Thinking

Abstract

This paper takes up the essential question of how school leaders work to introduce teachers to innovations in education. The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a qualitative comparative case study of two U.S. schools that place Design Thinking (DT) an innovative instructional approach to education at the core of their theory of action. This study examines the actions and dispositions of school leaders in supporting DT and discusses implications for educational change. Both principals recognized and communicated the values of DT, established structural supports, and addressed cultural aspects of change. However, their approaches varied in key ways that led to school wide support for DT in one setting, and waning support in another.

Authors

• Lea A. Hubbard, University of San Diego

• Amanda L. Datnow, University of California - San Diego