1.2 Change and the knowledge base of educational administration

Note: THIS MODULE HAS BEEN PEER-REVIEWED, ACCEPTED, AND SANCTIONED BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROFESSORS OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION (NCPEA) AS A SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE BASE IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION.

Change and the Knowledge Base of Education Administration

Jane A. McDonald

George Mason University

Ashby Kilgore

Newport News Public Schools

Abstract

This study investigated one school district’s transition from a junior high model to a middle school philosophy.Numerous documents were examined and individual interviews and focus group discussions were analyzed to reconstruct the processand strategies used to facilitate the institutionalization of this complex change effort. Participant voices helped weave a richfabric of events and provided further insights into organizational change. An understanding of change theories, the process of change,and what facilitates and hinders reform are essential components in the knowledge base of educational administration. By providingpractical experiences of change, the abstract process of implementing reform can become more concrete for educators who wantto significantly alter the outcome of schooling.

Understanding Change: An Essential Component in the Knowledge Base of Educational Administration

For more than two decades educators have been bombarded with pressures and mandates to change schools. Researchreports, state requirements, assessment results, and political verbiage have all espoused a critical need for schools to reform.With the recent passage of the No Child Left Behind federal legislation, the reform agenda for education in the United Statescontinues to expand. Many dedicated educators have worked hard to accommodate each request for change. While some school districtsmay have fallen short in their attempts, others have accomplished their goals.

This paper provides an example of a successful large-scale reform effort of one school district’s transition from a junior high model to a middle school philosophy.This qualitative study is relevant for learning about deep levels of change, the process and strategies used to implement change, andhow distributive leadership, specifically through the interactions of teams, can assist in the process. The voices of selectedparticipants provide readers with rare insight into some of the personal meaning created by individuals who experienced the change.By providing a framework for the process of change and some useful change strategies, current and aspiring educational leaders,policymakers, and students of educational reform can better understand the complexities of second-order change and theintensity of time that is needed to work through the process. An understanding of the complexities of change and what facilitatesand hinders school reform is essential knowledge for educational administration. This manuscript provides both a theoreticalgrounding and practical guidelines for implementing substantial change in organizations.