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An emerging trend in educational research is the use of social network theory and methodology to understand how teacher collaboration can support or constrain teaching, learning, and educational change. This article provides a critical synthesis of educational literature on school social networks among educators to advance our understanding of the embeddedness of teachers in the social context of schools. It focuses on how researchers currently use a social network perspective as a theoretical lens and methodology to frame studies on teacher collaboration in schools. Building on exemplary findings of recent studies, it shows that the pattern of social relationships among teachers may significantly enhance our understanding of the ways in which teacher collaboration takes place and contributes to student learning, teachers' instructional practice, and the implementation of reform. Finally, limitations and future directions in the conceptualization, measurement, and analysis of school social networks are indicated.

Throughout the world, educational policy makers, practitioners, and scholars have acknowledged the importance of principal leadership in the generation and implementation of innovations. In many studies, transformational leadership has emerged as a promising approach in response to increasing demands to develop and implement innovations in schools. Although research has suggested that having access to leaders with expertise can significantly stimulate innovation, the link between transformational leadership and principals' social network position has not yet been extensively studied. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between principals' positions in their schools' social networks in combination with transformational Article at OhioLink on March 16, 2015 eaq.sagepub.com Downloaded from

Purpose-Scholars have focused their attention on systemic reform as a way to support instructional coherence. These efforts are often layered onto existing social relationships between school staff that are rarely taken into account when enacting reform. Social network theory posits that the structure of social relationships may influence the direction, speed, and depth of organizational change and therefore may provide valuable insights in the social forces that may support or constrain reform efforts. Design-This mixed-methods exploratory case study examined five schools within one underperforming school district as it enacted a system-wide reform. Quantitative survey data was collected to assess social networks and teacher work perception of five schools enacting the reform. Qualitative data was gathered through individual interviews from educators within representative grade levels as a way to better understand the diffusion and implementation of the reform. Findings-Despite being enacted as a system wide reform effort, results suggests significant variance within and between schools in terms of reform-related social networks. These networks were significantly related to the uptake, depth, and spread of the change. Densely connected grade levels were also associated with more interactions focused on teaching and learning and an increased sense of grade level efficacy. Research/Practice Implications-Our findings underline the importance of attending to relational linkages as a complementary strategy to the technical emphasis of reform efforts, as social networks were found to significantly facilitate or constrain reform efforts. We offer implications and recommendations for leadership, policy and practice that may support the design and implementation of reforms, that may ultimately increase student performance. Originality/value-This study makes a unique contribution to the reform literature by drawing on social network theory as a way to understand efforts at reform. Our work suggests that the informal social linkages upon which reform is layered may support or constrain the depth of reform.