Making Sense While Collaboratively Steering Through the Fog: Principals' Metaphors Within a National Reform Implementation

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Everyone Implements Reform: Perspectives on Implementation in Schools

Abstract

Finding their role increasingly more complex while facing an ever growing pressure to transform school systems into dynamic learning environments, principals question their leadership practices. This qualitative study explored principals' sense-making processing of their leadership role within a national reform through their use of metaphors. Data were collected through a heterogenic sampling via 60 in-depth interviews with high school principals. Findings indicate four major themes: (a) reframing the principal's role and pedagogical autonomy; (b) reframing the principal's work; (c) reframing the school culture; and (d) reframing the principal's relationships with teachers. National reform implementation calls for a sense-making process through which school-level stakeholders work collaboratively while creatively constructing, negotiating and enacting their understanding of external demands in their specific context.

Authors

• Sherry Ganon Shilon, Achva Academic College

• Chen Schechter, Bar-Ilan University