Reform ripples: The role of recontextualization in scaling up

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5664

Keywords:

educational change, educational reform, policy enactment, scaling up, unintended policy outcomes

Abstract

This paper explores how educational interventions impact the districts they are implemented in above and beyond their intended outcomes. We argue that such unplanned “ripple effects”, in which program elements are recontextualized into other settings, are an important aspect of bringing educational interventions to scale. We analyze these phenomena in one Israeli district in which a teacher leadership and professional learning community initiative has been implemented and rapidly scaled up over the past five years. Extensive longitudinal ethnographic data were collected, including participant-observation in schools, professional development workshops, district management meetings and initiative-related events; 75 interviews with teachers and school and district management; and multiple informal conversations. We identify “ripples” in four arenas, and discuss the importance of individuals as mechanisms for transferring ideas across contexts, the role of ripples in advancing the initiative’s ethos, and the ripples’ long-term sustainability. Our findings suggest more attention should be paid to the impact of educational reforms on meaningful change beyond their original aims and settings. Alongside possible affordances these ripple effects have in the scaling up process, careful consideration should be given to their latent disadvantages, such as obscuring the program’s primary agenda.

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Author Biographies

Tali Aderet-German, Aalborg University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Tali Aderet-German is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Culture and Learning at Aalborg University, Denmark, following a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory for the Study of Pedagogy at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev studying organizational and pedagogical aspects of the scaling-up of a state-wide reform. Her PhD, carried out at the University of Haifa, examined a school network self-evaluation process. Her research employs sociological perspectives on educational policy, in particular evaluation policy and practice.

Adam Lefstein, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Adam Lefstein is Professor and Chair of the Department of Education at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. His current research studies investigate teacher professional discourse and learning; large-scale development of dialogic pedagogy in primary language arts; and the interaction of social class, language and classroom participation. 

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Published

2021-01-25

How to Cite

Aderet-German, T., & Lefstein, A. (2021). Reform ripples: The role of recontextualization in scaling up. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(January - July), 8. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5664