Educational Leaders’ Doctoral Research That Informed Strategies to Steer Their Organizations Towards Cultural Alignment

Abstract

This research generates new knowledge about how 24 educational leaders in the USA and England used their doctoral research to build narrative capital to inform strategies to steer their organizations towards cultural alignment. Cultural alignment prevents forms of segregation rooted in nation-states' wider historiography of education segregation based on low income and/or racial, cultural and linguistic diversity, and those recognized as having special educational needs. The evidence reveals doctoral study enabled the leaders to focus on the inner life and the emotional relational dimension of their narratives, and their alignment with the narrative of the members of their organizations through building networks of organizational participation in processes and practices. The networks enabled values to be shared such as trust, respect, agreeing to disagree and celebrating diversity. Thus doctoral research enabled the leaders to provide chances for members of the organization to evaluate their personal and professional narratives with each other and build narrative capital. Narrative capital is essential to underpin the construction of new life narratives that move beyond old descriptive scripts to scripts that turn dreams into objective realities, social mobility and civic engagement. Further research is recommended to explore how networks of participation in organizational processes and practices for cultural alignment are described and understood by leaders, educational professionals and students.

Using insider research in MEd final projects to bridge the theory/practice gap

“…This influences principals' performances in the education field and the development of education theory (Day, 2011). Taysum (2013) indicates that wise policy can help to bridge this gap, but this policy should be informed by research that clarifies and informs improvements in pedagogy and administration in schools. The partnership between the academy and schools/colleges may be on a continuum from the point where practice informs theory to a point where theory informs practice, or as action informs research and research informs action.…”

“…Scholars and policy-makers increasingly advocate the use of empirical research evidence to guide education policy and practice in the field (Cooper, Levin, & Campbell, 2009) and various efforts have tried to improve collaboration between research and practice (Taysum, 2013). A master's degree can be seen not only as a process of academic development and improvement of practice, but rather as an opportunity for students' personal profession development as reflective practitioners (Postholm, 2009;Schön, 1987).…”

Education Success for Black Children in the Public School System: Parent Participation and Community Empowerment

“…Recognizing the similarities and differences through sharing narratives or stories (Postman, 1996) using identity schemas may enable parents, students, and staff to facilitate bicultural and/or multicultural straddling. Developing identity schemas may enable communities to identify where cultural alignment does and does not empower all students to decode the education system (Taysum, 2016). Developing such bicultural or multicultural identities (Taysum & Slater, 2014) arguably affords access to the kinds of capital required for school success and for successful transitions to college, the labor market, and middle-class benefits based on merit rather than on privilege.…”

Change management in Northern Ireland’s transformed integrated schools: what we want is a school where you can be who you are and it’s a safe place

“…More widely, Taysum (2016) studied how educational leaders in the USA and England used research activity to inform strategies to guide their schools towards cultural alignment. She believed that this enabled the leaders to provide opportunities for assessment of personal and professional narratives and construction of the narrative capital essential to move beyond old scripts, and to envision objective realities around social mobility and civic engagement.…”