CASCADING TURBULENCE: TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA DURING THE FALL OF 2013

Abstract

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined teachers' experiences of the policy context of the fall of 2013 in the School District of Philadelphia. It was an extremely turbulent time resulting from a cascading policy environment with origins in federal government mandates. The study focused on ten teachers' perceptions of policy implementation in one comprehensive high school. Each teacher was interviewed once in the summer of 2017. State, local, and school specific policy forces were examined. Turbulence theory anchored the study. Teacher interview data were used to construct a turbulence gauge for the school, shedding light on teacher perceptions of the magnitude of disruption. Events from 1997 to 2013 in the School District of Philadelphia provided evidence that policy forces from different governance levels and various contextual factors cascaded upon each other yielding a crescendo of policy implementation experienced by teachers in the fall of 2013. Findings indicated that teachers' perceptions of policy implementation during the fall of 2013 were traumatic, chaotic, and compliance-driven. Teachers primarily held the district responsible for the state of affairs, then the principal, and lastly, the federal government. A finding of severe turbulence was assigned to the school reflecting teachers' perceptions of policy implementation. This study informs school leaders in domains related to policy implementation, strategic planning, and impacts on human capital. Future studies should examine how policy implementation in the NCLB era manufactures an up-tempo change culture which converges on teachers and impacts their perceptions of efficacy and capacity to deliver instruction. Key terms: policy implementation, NCLB, Turbulence Theory, Philadelphia, affective, school closings