Strategic Planning: Effective Practice or Method of Control? (Poster 4)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session One
  In Poster Session: Complexity and Change in Education

Abstract

School district strategic planning is generally seen as a desirable practice. While the process can vary by district, it generally ends with the board approving a multi-year plan expected to guide board decision-making. Thus, what seems like a straightforward, benign practice is a potential avenue for controlling democracy and requires critical attention. This study examines how a facilitator from one state’s school board association introduces and legitimizes a district's planning process. Incorporating van Leeuwen’s (2007) legitimation strategies in Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional framework for critical discourse studies with Lukes’ (2005) conception of power, this study suggests that strategic planning can limit what board members attend to, control how they work, and lead them to unquestioningly accept other “effective” practices.

Author

• Anna Deese, University of Colorado - Boulder
  Presenting Author