Balancing Tensions in Systems Wide Change: Insights From a Research Practice Partnership in the United States

• In Event: Atlantic Crossings: Research-Practice Partnerships in Europe and North and South America

Abstract

Objectives
Research shows that school improvement efforts rely strongly on decisions at the leadership level of a school organization (Author et al, 2016) and therefore, attending to the culture and climate in which school leaders do their work is of primary importance (Deal & Peterson, 2016; Gaziel, 1997; Author, 2019). This study is part of the research-practice partnership called Better Together that includes eleven K-12 schools in an urban fringe school district in the US. The purpose of this study is to explore leaders’ perspectives on the tensions associated with longitudinal change efforts around inclusive practices within a research-practice partnership.

Perspective
Research suggests that the intersection of the social and affective state of leaders is a critical line of inquiry in understanding what makes some leaders more successful in influencing and energizing educational change (Author, 2018). Shifting attention from a sole focus on individual cognition and affect to a more social contextual approach in which individuals do their work is particularly relevant for system-level change efforts (Author, 2010). Further, research-practice partnerships hold promise in deepening the work (Penuel et al., 2017)

Methods
For this study, observational data, survey data, social network analysis, and interview data from two years were analyzed. By systematically cycling between data and analysis through iterative and constant comparison, early hypotheses are tested in further cycles, which result in identifying emerging themes and patterns in the data (Glaser & Strauss, 2017).

Data sources
In the winter and spring of 2019 and 2020, survey data on culture, climate, relationships, and inclusive practices were gathered from 40 school leaders, 400 teachers, and 1200 students, including social network data on the leadership team of the district. Observational data was collected during a series of professional development meetings with the site and central office administrators in the districts (N = 40). Individual principal interviews were held (N = 11) prior and after sharing data.

Preliminary results
The results indicate points of congruence and friction of intra-individual beliefs of school leaders on change efforts for inclusive practices, and how those resonate with a gap reported by teachers and students in the baseline data. The results furthermore suggest that school leaders relate the success of change efforts to 1) Balance the district’s vision while also meeting the demands for models of inclusion and the wider community, 2) Balance between innovation and time to gain ownership over initiatives, 3) Balance between district input and space for experimentation; and 4) Balance insights gained from research and practice. Finally, the results identify school leaders’ moves towards collaboration and growth in levels of trust over time.

Significance of the work
Perhaps one contributing factor in long standing educational inequities is a failure to understand the potential of research-practice partnerships and the role of school leaders’, decisions, actions, and inactions (Neeleman, 2019). This study contributes with insights on the role of partnership, individual cognition and effect as well as their social context in the enactment of decision-making processes for change efforts.

Authors

• Alan J. Daly, University of California - San Diego

• Nicolette van Halem, Erasmus Rotterdam University

• Yi-Hwa Liou, National Taipei University of Education

• David Vanasdall, Arcadia Unified School District