Policy Implementation in a School District: A Multiperspective Approach
Keywords:
policy implementation, school districts, educational policy, school boards, district administrationAbstract
This paper will examine the beliefs and assumptions about the process of policy implementation held by the school board members, district administrators, principals, and teachers in one district in Western Canada and the effect of those beliefs on the implementation of two policies. Three different and conflicting conceptualizations of policy implementation were found to exist in the district. The Board felt that principals and teachers, as employees, should be willing to comply with policy and that implementation was simply a matter of doing what the policy required. The perspective of district employee groups is summarized in the statement: “If they (i.e., the Board) want us to do —, then they have to give us —.” To them, policy implementation involves bargaining during which member interests must be protected and promoted. The main concern of the school staff was the perceived need for the policy and its likely effect on the work environment of the school. Such conflicting conceptualizations limit the likelihood of meaningful implementation and highlight the complex role of district administrators who are primarily responsible for policy implementation in the district.
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