Investigating the Impact of School Principals' Social Influence on Equity Initiatives: A Case Study Approach

• In Event: Leading Schools Toward Ecosystems for Learning and Flourishing

Abstract

Background
School principals continuously find themselves in the position to influence instructional initiatives that then directly impact teachers and students (Keddie et al., 2022; Steinberg, 2014; OECD, 2016 a,b). Research shows that social networks affect the amount of influence transmitted between school principals (authors, 2019; Goldsmith, 2015). This social influence is critical in promoting instructional innovation because influential actors are likely to form political allies and leverage their political and social power over others, which may shape norms, beliefs, opinions, and decisions (Battilana & Casciaro, 2013; Watts & Dodds, 2007).

Purposes
This case study examines how principals wield social influence in the district leadership team when implementing instructional innovations. In recent years, many educational organizations have shown interest in ideas on student-centered instruction (Kirschner & Stoyanov, 2020; OECD, 2019). The current work takes place in a highly innovative K-12 system where the leadership team has been promoting student-centered instructional initiatives since 2018. This study is part of a Research-Practice Partnership that aims to build leadership capacity around the role of culture, climate, and relationships in successfully implementing instructional initiatives.

Methodology
Interview and network data were used to explore how district initiatives were addressed by principals and how networks within a school district leadership team were leveraged for that purpose. The data for this study were collected in four waves between February 2019 and March 2022, involving 11 principals and 34 district leaders. Principals’ beliefs about implementing student-centered instructional initiatives were examined with interview data and a survey scale in relation to their social influence among district leaders and site leaders over time measured by incoming (daily and weekly) advice ties from district and site administrators in the district (see Figure 1). Using stochastic actor-oriented modeling (Snijders et al., 2010) through the RSiena data-analysis package (Ripley et al., 2011), the authors explored how networks and beliefs about the implementation of student-centered instructional initiatives coevolve within the district leadership team.

Findings
Principals addressed district initiatives for student-centered instruction in different ways, coded as ownership, adoption, acceptance, or ambivalence. Relating these approaches to differences in the amount of incoming advice relationships revealed that, regardless of social influence, principals may choose to take ownership of district initiatives or rather prioritize their own vision independently. However, independent decisions of principals with a more central position in the social network yielded a greater following by fellow principals within three to four years time. Our findings show no evidence that principals seek advice among administrators who hold similar beliefs about student-centered instructional initiatives. Instead, they relied on pre-existing relationships to guide advice interactions.

Significance
This high-touch Research-Practice Partnership facilitated an in-depth analysis about the enactment of decision-making processes for change efforts. This is particularly pressing given the high prevalence of seemingly unstable or inconsistent district initiative choices that currently impede schools from realizing sustainable reform (Keddie et al., 2022). This study illuminates the mechanisms through which principals may choose to take ownership of district initiatives or rather prioritize their own vision independently.

Authors

• Nicolette van Halem, Universiteit van Amsterdam

• Mimi Lockton, University of California - San Diego

• David Albert Rodes Trautman, University of California - San Diego

• Yi-Hwa Liou, National Taipei University of Education

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