TY - JOUR
T1 - Fitting In to Stand Out
T2 - How Teachers at Small, Urban “Specialty Schools” Experience Extra-Organizational Influence
AU - Walls, Jeff
AU - Kemper, Sara
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - In an era of increased attention to academic achievement gaps, expanding educational options has emerged as one approach to meeting the diverse learning needs of urban youth. This multiple-case study uses teacher interviews to investigate the role of extra-organizational factors (e.g., district- or state-level mandates) in shaping teachers’ work in small public “specialty” schools. We find that teachers feel their work is enabled by smallness and autonomy but constrained by counterproductive policies. The ability of school personnel to obtain and leverage power shaped their success in navigating their institutional milieu. We close with implications for educational leaders and researchers.
AB - In an era of increased attention to academic achievement gaps, expanding educational options has emerged as one approach to meeting the diverse learning needs of urban youth. This multiple-case study uses teacher interviews to investigate the role of extra-organizational factors (e.g., district- or state-level mandates) in shaping teachers’ work in small public “specialty” schools. We find that teachers feel their work is enabled by smallness and autonomy but constrained by counterproductive policies. The ability of school personnel to obtain and leverage power shaped their success in navigating their institutional milieu. We close with implications for educational leaders and researchers.
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U2 - 10.1080/15700763.2018.1453936
DO - 10.1080/15700763.2018.1453936
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85046897107
SN - 1570-0763
VL - 18
SP - 433
EP - 459
JO - Leadership and Policy in Schools
JF - Leadership and Policy in Schools
IS - 3
ER -