A Dramatic Confrontation of Frames: Arts-Based School Reform and Organizational Learning

• In Event: Professional and Organizational Learning: Teacher-Led Educational Reform

Abstract

This current study explores the intersection of arts integration and organizational learning through practitioner perspectives on their early experiences with arts-based school reform. Four frames rooted in organizational learning theory—structural, political, symbolic, and human resource—consider how reform interacts with the organizational culture and infrastructure of the school. Findings explored variation and overlap across teachers (N =21) at five middle schools regarding a) perceptions of the arts reform program, b) the role of each frame in generative organizational learning, c) how the salience and emphases of frames differ between contexts, and d) confrontation of organizational frames, as either enhancing organizational learning or detracting from the uptake and sustainability of the arts integrated reform effort and individual growth of teachers.

Authors

• Lorna Porter, University of Oregon

• Ross C Anderson, University of Oregon