| Studies of school reform often cite teacher resistance as the cause of failed change. Recent studies have challenged this depiction with findings that highlight the role of leadership in mobilizing change resistant teachers. But, the foregone conclusion that teachers are change resistant actors has led researchers to overlook the process by which teachers discard (or accept) reforms. Using qualitative data, the present study explores this process at Allen Elementary School and Thompson Charter School, two urban elementary schools implementing programs that encourage positive student behavior. Drawing from sensemaking theory, this analysis focuses on the frames that shape the use of reforms and the cues actors extract from that use. I examine these frames and cues as a collective phenomenon that occurs throughout the technical core.;I find that organizational leaders constructed problem and coordinating frames that motivated teachers to adopt the reforms. Yet, these framing tactics did not sustain use as planned by school leaders. The experiences executing these programs triggered a process that re-defined the meanings and actions related to use. This process was grounded in two sets of cues. The first set was experienced cues, which were events that affirmed or disaffirmed reform plans. The second set was reflective cues. These cues were not only patterns of experienced cues but also observations of the relationship between new practices and existing ones. Actors discussed these cues, which contributed to the construction of a collective narrative. This narrative resolved ambiguity and uncertainty related to use by providing practical guides that superseded proposed plans.;In addition to policy implications, this study offers three contributions to sensemaking theory and, more broadly, organizational studies. First, this study finds that organizational leaders possess some agency in cultivating actors' resonance with frames. School leaders used organizational learning spaces to create regulative and normative systems that forged a shared language and expectations. Second, this work provides greater conceptual clarity in the definition of cues as well as the role of cues in the process of organizational change. Third, this study illuminates the mechanism by which actors notice some cues and disregard others. This mechanism is related to the purpose of the collective narrative, which is to dispel ambiguity and uncertainty. Cues that countered the emergent narrative were dismissed or minimized rather than incorporated. Because of this process, I argue that teacher resistance is not blind opposition but reflects the complexity of incorporating reform with existing practices. |
