Reform through School Networks: A New Kind of Authority and Accountability

Item

Title

Reform through School Networks: A New Kind of Authority and Accountability

Abstract/Description

Many educational reforms are implemented on a school-by-school basis where the individual or the school is often the target of the effort. But the problems of education transcend the capacity of one school working alone. Networking schools with each other or with partner organizations works to develop social capital; this can be an effective alternative to market-type or hierarchical approaches to reform. In the network model of organizing, authority and accountability are based on the social relationships between network participants. Focusing on new management roles within school networks, the authors' findings suggest that networks promote community-based collaboration, cost sharing, knowledge sharing, and the involvement of external partners. In contrast, challenges to the network strategy include the need for extensive training in group process skills and the need for quality information. The intent of this article is to make the language and discourse of networks more accessible to education reformers.

Author/creator

Smith, Andrew K.

Wohlstetter, Priscilla

Date

2001

In publication

Educational Policy

Volume

15

Issue

4

Pages

499-519

Language

en

ISSN

0895-9048

DOI

10.1177/0895904801015004001

URL

https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904801015004001

Item sets

OB Citations - Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Evaluating Improvement Networks

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