Educational Organizations and Organizing in the Time of COVID-19

• In Event: Rethinking Schools in a (Post-?)Pandemic World: Innovative Conceptualizations of Schools as Organizations

Abstract

From the school bell to the school calendar, time shapes educational organizations and influences educators’ work. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted time in and for educational organizations. Time is a vital resource, yet many applications of organizational theory largely neglect it. Therefore, this paper applies concepts from philosophy and physics as well as organizational theory to elucidate the role of time in the U.S. education system’s efforts to recuperate from the pandemic. 

This theoretical paper will first disentangle concepts regarding time as a factor for organizational stability and change. Next, we explore three cases: 1) accelerated learning initiatives; 2) extended time for tutoring; and 3) routines for teacher/leader collaboration. For each case, we will show how time has been conceptualized and how time functions as a resource in this unprecedented context.

Finally, we discuss implications for theorizing and investigating time in organizations plus implications for policy and leadership. For example, we will showcase innovative models that stretch the school day/year, providing time for students to receive an array of responsive, equity-centered, academic and SEL opportunities and for educators to collaborate, continuing their own development amid the shifting COVID context. In sum, this article advances an innovative framework that accounts for the role of time in organizational learning and improvement. It puts forth conceptualizations of time for scholars to use to address wicked problems across the education field.

Authors

• Sarah L. Woulfin, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author

• Natalie Spitzer, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author