ERIC Number: EJ1185759
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0954-0253
EISSN: N/A
What's Involved in 'the Work'? Understanding Administrators' Roles in Bringing Trans-Affirming Policies into Practice
Leonardi, Bethy; Staley, Sara
Gender and Education, v30 n6 p754-773 2018
Researchers have concluded that policy implementation is a process of mutual adaptation between policies and implementers. Our study draws attention to that relationship, especially with respect to policies that challenge assumptions about sex, gender, and sexuality. We focus on how six administrators in one United States school district understood 'the work' of bringing the district's "Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students" into practice. Our analysis of interview data focused these questions: How do administrators describe their motivation and commitment to engage in the work? What puzzles of practice do participants name? How do they talk about the work of implementation? What does that work mean/involve in everyday practice? What were their roles? We found that implementation was locally defined and enacted; participants' sense-making, their roles in enacting the Guidelines, and the puzzles they negotiated were influenced by their unique contexts. We share examples of diverse cases in an effort to create policy knowledge.
Descriptors: Administrator Role, Educational Policy, Program Implementation, Sexual Identity, Guidelines, School Districts, Administrator Attitudes, School Culture, Student Diversity, Parent Participation, Educational Change, Resistance to Change, Parent Education, Interviews, Administrator Surveys, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, Family Characteristics, Sexual Orientation, Gender Issues
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A