Democratic Dilemmas

Julie A. Marsh is Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation. She is the coauthor (with Kerri A. Kerr, Gina S. Ikemoto, Hilary Darilek, Marika Suttorp, Ron W. Zimmer, and Heather Barney) of The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement: Lessons from Three Urban Districts Partnered with the Institute for Learning and the coeditor (with Amy M. Hightower, Michael S. Knapp, and Milbrey W. McLaughlin) of School Districts and Instructional Renewal.

• List of Figures and TablesAcknowledgmentsIntroductionOverview of Two District Cases: Unlocking a PuzzleHistorical Context of School-Community ConnectionsGrounding the Study: A Lens for Understanding the Two CasesStudy Background and MethodsReflections on and Implications of the ResearchChapter Outline1. Setting the StageState, Regional, and Local Context for Joint WorkKey Facets and Activities of Joint WorkWho Was at the TableWhat Was on the Table: Vision and PurposeHow Participants Interacted and Made DecisionsWhat Was AchievedSumming Up the Cases and Looking Ahead2. Participation and PowerPower and Its Many FacesParticipation Patterns and BiasesExplanations and Implications for Democratic PracticeSumming Up and Looking Ahead3. Institutional Discord and HarmonyDemocratic Inclusion and Professional AutonomyMarket Perspectives and Democratic InclusionConditions Affecting Institutional RelationshipsSumming Up and Looking Ahead4. The Democracy-Bureaucracy Face-offOrganizational Forms and DemocracyOrganizational Structure: Rigid versus FlexibleOrganizational Culture: Controlling versus LearningLeadership: Top-down versus DistributedHow Resources Affected Organizational ClimateSumming Up and Looking Ahead5. Climates of Trust and MistrustWhat Is Trust?Institutional TrustInterpersonal TrustFoundations of Trust and Issues of RepresentationSumming Up and Looking Ahead6. Implications for Policy and Practice in an Era of AccountabilityKey Tensions and Dilemmas RevisitedPolicy Implications: Accountability as Community ResponsibilityDemocratic and Educational OutcomesPractical LessonsUnresolved Dilemmas and Unanswered QuestionsAppendix A: MethodologyAppendix B: Mid Valley CAP ParticipantsAppendix C: Highland Strategic Planning TeamNotesReferencesIndex

"The author reminds us that people who work collaboratively to make change must understand that it is a negotiated process. There are costs involved for each stakeholder. Successful collaboration implies that participants become aware of these costs and develop ways to reframe them as assets." — Educational Administration Quarterly"The comparative case studies allow the author to probe the emergent themes and patterns and to deal with alternative interpretations with a degree of sophistication not often found in the literature on efforts to engage elements of the school community in school district policymaking." — Betty Malen, coeditor of Balancing Local Control and State Responsibility for K–12 Education"Findings from this book will inform practice in the field of school governance and leadership." — Kenneth Wong, author of City Choices: Education and Housing