TURNING WORDS INTO ACTION: A CASE STUDY EXPLORING HOW IDEOLOGY LINKS CONTEXT AND CHANGE

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how context affects the ideological content of school district leadership as it enacts change. The political pressure which demands public school reform has created an environment of hasty decision-making, high stakes accountability systems, and uncertainty. In the presence of this pressure, this ethnographic case study examined how one mid-sized urban public school district responds with strides toward positive change. The data were collected through participant observation, interviews, and written artifacts. Once analyzed, the data revealed that an effectively communicated ideology allows district leaders to use language about their beliefs concerning the political environment to impel members of the organization to take certain action toward a process of change. Key words: ideology, political context, school district leadership, ethnography