How Do Principals Navigate Increased Autonomy over School Reform? An Analysis using Structure-Agency Theory

Abstract Past efforts aimed at improving chronically low-performing schools have leaned on prescriptive turnaround models to improve student outcomes, but flexible reform models are becoming more common under the Every Student Succeeds Act. One such policy, North Carolina’s Restart (NCR) model, gives principals of persistently low-performing schools increased autonomy to implement reforms that suit their school-specific needs. However, the policy does not clearly define how much autonomy principals have in cases when their desired reforms conflict with pre-existing policies within their school district. Using structure-agency theory, we leverage interviews with principals to examine how NCR principals navigate this expansion in their discretionary authority. We find that principals played an active part in defining how much autonomy they ultimately had to override district regulations. We also find that the interaction between principals’ and districts’ level of commitment, capacity, and coordination helps to explain how principals experienced NCR. Our results contribute important insights for educational leaders and policymakers to consider when designing and implementing reform models that rely on increased principal autonomy.