ERIC Number: EJ1417186
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 41
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-161X
EISSN: EISSN-1552-3519
Available Date: N/A
Multiple Logics of Curriculum Leadership: How a Large Public School District Manages Institutional Complexity
Jonathan W. Cooney; Michael Ian Cohen
Educational Administration Quarterly, v60 n1 p74-114 2024
Purpose: This study contributes to a growing literature focused on institutional complexity, or the phenomenon of competing institutional logics, in PK-12 public education. Responding to calls for more nuanced characterizations of district-level administration, our purpose was to identify the logics of curriculum leadership in one large school district in the Western U.S. and examine how district leaders made sense of their multiple demands. Research Methods: Employing case study methods, we collected curricular documents and conducted 21 interviews of district-level curriculum leaders, principals, and teachers. We used inductive coding to identify patterns in the district's culture of curriculum leadership and then drew upon institutional theory to associate these patterns with particular institutional logics. Findings: We found three coexisting logics of curriculum leadership in the school district: a logic of uniformity, which called for teachers' fidelity to a prescriptive curriculum; a logic of participation, which valued teacher voice and shared leadership; and a logic of performance, which placed a premium on measurable student achievement. These logics were often incompatible or contradictory, producing mixed messages and an institutional complexity that remained largely unacknowledged among leaders. Implications: Tensions among logics of curriculum leadership may not always result in open contestation, yet if leaders do not resolve them at the district level, teachers may be unsupported in their efforts to reconcile competing demands in their classroom practices. Identifying specific logics of curriculum leadership and considering their interactions may help leaders make sense of conflicting values and better support teachers in their classroom decision making.
Descriptors: School Districts, Public Schools, School Administration, Elementary Secondary Education, Instructional Leadership, Curriculum Development, Institutional Characteristics, Conflict Resolution, Educational Objectives, School District Size
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A