Making Sense of the Political Competence of Public School Superintendents: Bridging the Gap Between Educational Altruism and Local Governance “Buy-In”
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1 MAKING SENSE OF THE POLITIAL COMPETENCE OF PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL ALTRUISM AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE “BUY-IN” A thesis presented by Robert A. Tremblay to The School of Education In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the field of Education College of Professional Studies Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts March 2014 2 ABSTRACT School superintendents are charged with the responsibility of organizing and managing human and material resources within a complex system of interest groups and collective bargaining agreements that is largely funded by taxpayers with competing wants and needs. “The superintendency has long been regarded with three traditional leadership frames: the managerial, instructional, and political” (Burry, 2003, p. 8). Through the growing body of literature on educational leadership, we have come to know that successful managing is the coordination of people and resources to produce goods or services in an organization (Sergiovanni, 1996). Similarly, the concept of instructional leadership is well-documented throughout the literature and is indeed a central function for superintendents – even when a bulk of work related curriculum, instruction, and assessment is delegated to leaders with expertise in this area. The third frame, what Burry (2003) describes as political, is largely rooted in the relationships between school superintendents and their respective boards or committees. There is very little research, however, that examines the ways in which school superintendents understand and manage the relationships beyond those with their appointing boards. On the most practical level, this research endeavor sought to contribute to the knowledge base of school leader preparation by uncovering those strategic processes by which managers or leaders were able to articulate and ultimately realize their altruistic vision of public education within a complex, open system; a system where communication, selflessness, problem management, and strategic planning emerged as some of the essential skills inherent to the political competence that school superintendents need to be successful in their work. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2012) approach to understand the lived experience of school superintendents, this study explored 3 the experiences of four public school superintendents and how they made sense of their experiences in making connections to the external and highly politicized school community – an open system - in order to garner “buy-in” when aspiring to advance their educational agenda. Among the goals of this research was to make sense of how school superintendents understand the connection between agenda-setting and effective school leadership and how political competence – a construct that emerged out of the interview narrative - can lead to change. Surprisingly, superintendents participating in this study had no background knowledge in or awareness of agenda-setting as a function of political science. Strategies used by the study participants to mobilize stakeholders, communicate ideas, and garner buy-in were all the result of lessons learned on the job. Emergent themes around: communication, community, experience, giving away success, mentorship, perception, politics, problem management, selflessness, strategy, and trust emerged as a result of the rich discussions that took place with the study participants, most of whom did not aspire to become a school superintendent. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my doctoral advisor, Dr. Kelly Conn, for helping me to frame and reframe my problem of practice and for guiding this study that, contrary to the saturation and overexposure that typically accompanies years of study on a single subject, became more exciting with each chapter that I wrote. My second and third readers, Dr. Jane Lohmann and Dr. Kevin McIntyre, helped me to think more reflectively about the practice of school leadership and posited questions that continued to push me back into the literature as I made sense of my own interpretative phenomenological discoveries. The Milford Public School district has afforded me the opportunity to pursue this work not only with financial support, but by allowing me to experience, first-hand, the political landscape that a school superintendent must be able to navigate in order to influence meaningful change. The opportunity to practice, reflect, strategize, and practice again over the last 16 years in the community where I learned to become a school leader is noteworthy. I appreciate the time that I was able to spend talking with and learning from the study participants through the interview and reflective writing processes. I have gained tremendous insight into the political competencies of school leaders who have been successful in garnering “buy-in” in the communities that they served over the years. Because of their insights, a blueprint for effective school leadership in a dynamic and highly political educational system has begun to evolve. I would like to thank my long-time friend, colleague, and study partner, Brian Reagan, for his commitment to helping me see this project through from beginning to end. The countless Sunday’s in the library, office, and anywhere we could find quiet space, photocopiers, and printers will not soon be forgotten. 5 Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Ann Marie, and my children, Benjamin, Madeline, and Samuel for allowing me the time that I needed to complete this terminal degree. Their tolerance and encouragement over the years has allowed me to balance the challenges that come with trying to be a good husband, an active and engaged father, a competent school leader, and scholar-practitioner who desperately sought to make his doctoral work practical. I am blessed to be surrounded by such love. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................................4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................................................6 Chapter One: Introduction ...........................................................................................................9 Problem of Practice ......................................................................................................................9 Significance of the Problem .......................................................................................................10 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................12 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................12 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................................................13 Open Systems.....................................................................................................................14 Agenda-Setting ..................................................................................................................16 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...............................................................................................19 Public Education ........................................................................................................................20 Educational Leadership ..............................................................................................................20 Educational Altruism ..................................................................................................................24 Interpersonal Communication ....................................................................................................25 Political Science .........................................................................................................................26 Local Governance "Buy-In" .......................................................................................................27 The Ultimate Political Competency: Persuasion ........................................................................30 Public Education and Community Engagement .........................................................................34 Democracy: A Competitive Political System .............................................................................38 Chapter Three: Research Design ...............................................................................................41 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................41 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................42 Qualitative Research Design ......................................................................................................42 The Value of the Double Hermeneutic ..............................................................................43 Site and participants ...........................................................................................................45 Recruitment and Access .....................................................................................................46