Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and Responsibilities
Little has been dedicated to the experience and potential support for local educational policy actors, school board members, that were at the heart of unprecedented decision and sensemaking during the Covid-19 pandemic. Employing sensemaking theory and an interpretivist case study design, this study...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | AERA Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241304700 |
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| _version_ | 1841560855602266112 |
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| author | Blake Willoughby Se Woong Lee Emily R. Crawford |
| author_facet | Blake Willoughby Se Woong Lee Emily R. Crawford |
| author_sort | Blake Willoughby |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Little has been dedicated to the experience and potential support for local educational policy actors, school board members, that were at the heart of unprecedented decision and sensemaking during the Covid-19 pandemic. Employing sensemaking theory and an interpretivist case study design, this study conducts interviews with four school board members in a Missouri school district. The study explores their motivations for candidacy and perceptions of the role’s responsibilities, especially as individuals elected during the pandemic. The findings highlight that candidates’ decisions to run are influenced by personal and professional experiences, shaping their initial understanding of the position. However, post-election, a transformative process unfolds in the actual enactment of the role, signifying an evolution in their sensemaking journey. This study contributes to the limited but growing literature on school board members who play critical roles in education and whose roles and responsibilities have often been overlooked in the scholarship. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-92b79b51f40e4bd6a0404b2aa5cfab99 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2332-8584 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AERA Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-92b79b51f40e4bd6a0404b2aa5cfab992025-01-03T12:03:29ZengSAGE PublishingAERA Open2332-85842025-01-011110.1177/23328584241304700Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and ResponsibilitiesBlake WilloughbySe Woong LeeEmily R. CrawfordLittle has been dedicated to the experience and potential support for local educational policy actors, school board members, that were at the heart of unprecedented decision and sensemaking during the Covid-19 pandemic. Employing sensemaking theory and an interpretivist case study design, this study conducts interviews with four school board members in a Missouri school district. The study explores their motivations for candidacy and perceptions of the role’s responsibilities, especially as individuals elected during the pandemic. The findings highlight that candidates’ decisions to run are influenced by personal and professional experiences, shaping their initial understanding of the position. However, post-election, a transformative process unfolds in the actual enactment of the role, signifying an evolution in their sensemaking journey. This study contributes to the limited but growing literature on school board members who play critical roles in education and whose roles and responsibilities have often been overlooked in the scholarship.https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241304700 |
| spellingShingle | Blake Willoughby Se Woong Lee Emily R. Crawford Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and Responsibilities AERA Open |
| title | Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and Responsibilities |
| title_full | Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and Responsibilities |
| title_fullStr | Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and Responsibilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and Responsibilities |
| title_short | Swimming in the Deep End: School Board Members Making Sense of Their Roles and Responsibilities |
| title_sort | swimming in the deep end school board members making sense of their roles and responsibilities |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584241304700 |
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