Application: Paper – An Education Initiative Gone Awry
Consider this scenario:

A new educational leader’s first task from the board of trustees is to plan and implement a math initiative for the new school year and explain why it will improve student scores. The board vote was 5–4 in favor of the initiative, which was to be implemented immediately. Board memberswho voted against the initiative, as well as several administrators and teachers, had divided opinions on how test scores in the diverse student body would be affected by the math initiative. Suddenly, the initiative became controversial, and community leaders, parents and other external stakeholders got involved.

To prepare for the Assignment, read this Module’s texts on education reform. Focus on the formal and informal power of individuals and groups to achieve their goals in organizations. Highlight the political processes and implications at the micro level within education reform.

Next, put yourself in the position of the leader in the scenario above who was asked to defend the new initiative. What if you were asked to write a plan addressing why a new initiative (i.e. math, reading) would be effective with regard to organizational readiness and sustainability?

Assignment Directions:

Write a 5–8 page paper analyzing why organizational readiness for implementing an education initiative at the micro level in your organization can be effective. Include the following:

Describe an innovative education initiative to implement in your local school district or educational organization. It has to be something that has never been done before and, therefore, would likely be seen as controversial or very difficult to accomplish in the organization and/or community.
Analyze the internal and external forces that would support the change and those that would inhibit the change.
Assess organizational readiness related to the initiative using a capacity and capability framework.
Identify and analyze the sustainability issues at the micro level that will have to be addressed to make the initiative effective.
Provide explicit recommendations for addressing the capacity, capability, and sustainability issues that were raised in the previous paragraphs.