Present but Absent: Gender Dynamics as an Overlooked Factor in Turnaround Leadership

This exploratory case study explores the experiences of twelve women teachers in the United States who worked in schools in two districts that had been taken over by their state department of education after years... [ view full abstract ]

This exploratory case study explores the experiences of twelve women teachers in the United States who worked in schools in two districts that had been taken over by their state department of education after years of documented poor performance. Data collection took place during mandated turnaround efforts. The qualitative analysis revealed a clear discrepancy between the expectations set for teachers by the district, (and, by extension, the state government) and the reality of their schools’ work environments: they were expected to be neutral instructors (Ackers, J., 2012) but their lives and experiences were informed by being women. Concepts such as teacher agency, education leadership, and reform were examined through the lens of gender dynamics and inequity. Gender dynamics were significant factors in the lives of the teachers, (such as interacting with men in ways that felt uncomfortable, or inequitable employment policies), but were not recognized as such by the state or positional leaders during the critical turnaround period. The teachers were understood as employees, but not as individuals or as women. Yet, at the same time, many of the teachers’ interactions with authority figures and male colleagues were shaped by their identities as women.  

The politics and structures in place in Oakwood and Milltown (pseudonyms) may be preventing the implemented reforms from taking place. “As long as sexist attitudes and practices and structural inequalities continue to allow men more power and opportunity than women, gender divisions across faculties will persist and many reform efforts may never have the chance to improve the academic achievement of students previously underserved,” (Hubbard & Datnow, 2000, p. 128). Hubbard & Datnow made this declaration after studying relatively stable schools in California which were not under state control. Milltown and Oakwood were under intense scrutiny by the state government at the time of the study to improve their academic measurements and outcomes for their students. The turnaround environments in which these twelve women worked has not been examined through this lens.  

The roundtable presentation will present the findings from this study in a succinct, concise manner, and will show policy implications beyond the United States context. This proposed roundtable discussion is designed to elicit feedback on the best methods for further dissemination of this research, in both policy and research realms in the United States and beyond.