Revisiting Acker's gendered organizational theory: what women overcome to stay in the superintendency

Despite key improvements to social, political, and economic status, women remain underrepresented in key leadership positions across the United States, including the superintendency. Feminist research underscores that androcentric systems maintain, valorize, and reproduce the experiences and knowledge claims of upper middle-class, heterosexual, white men. Documented in related fields, gender inequity within public school systems is thus in part, the result of bias, discrimination, and highly gendered organizational practices. Part of a larger qualitative descriptive study conducted in spring 2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic, the purpose of this research was to examine normative culture within the New York State (NYS) Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) superintendency, and how professional and personal supports affect women superintendents and ultimately their decision "to stay" in their position. The guiding research question for this part of the study asked how and why the NYS BOCES superintendency was gendered? Guided by and building upon Joan Acker's gendered organizational theory, 32 semi-structured, in-depth interviews were completed with NYS BOCES women superintendents. The BOCES organization was purposefully selected, in contrast to one of the 731 NYS public school districts, because of the level of political and economic power that BOCES superintendents have at the state level - and to that end, the role of women leadership in a highly influential state educational organization. Overall, study results are consistent with Acker's research, finding that the NYS BOCES is a highly gendered organization, and also in specific ways tied to contemporary context. Chief among these included that women superintendents face countless gender inequities and barriers associated with staying in their leadership role, but professional legacy, the extent to which the work benefited families, and appropriate work-life balance were motivating factors. Concluding with implications for research and practice, study findings are significant because this study is the first to empirically examine the NYS BOCES and the career trajectories of its women superintendents - and to do so from a feminist epistemological perspective and gendered theoretical framework focused creating transformative change within research and practice.

Interweaving resilience: leadership of continuous improvement partnerships and Mary Parker Follett's theory of relational process

Purpose: Follett's relational process theory illuminates key aspects of interdependence among organizations in the field of education that are essential to fostering capacities for interorganizational resilience. The article argues for the necessity of developing mutualism in systems of education as essential preparation for times of instability and crisis, as demonstrated through recent experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This article provides an introduction to the relational process theory of Mary Parker Follett, a foundational theorist of organizing and administration. This theoretical review uses worked examples drawn from a collaborative, continuous improvement partnership focused on educational leadership preparation and development. Findings: The author identifies four aspects of Follett's theory that connect most directly to collaborative, continuous improvement partnerships. These include mutualism as circular response, coactive power, embrace of difference through constructive conflict and integrating experience through learning. The article discusses how these offer an integrated framework of foundational concepts for nurturing and sustaining educational systems capable of adaptive change in the face of complex challenges. Originality/value: Follett's relational process theory offers a perspective on partnering as a dynamic and evolving constellation of interactions and activity. The implications of Follett's core ideas for education resonate beyond improvement partnerships and offer guidance at all levels of educational systems seeking to orient towards an evolutionary logic. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Is There a First Mover Advantage in Lobbying? A Comparative Analysis of How the Timing of Mobilization Affects the Influence of Interest Groups in 10 Polities

The first mover advantage is a critical factor for the productivity of firms that enter new markets. Surprisingly, however, the importance of timing is rarely explored in studies of interest groups and their influence on new policy agendas. In this article, we therefore develop a theory of first mover advantages in lobbying. We argue that especially more resourceful and more highly affected organizations should be able to benefit from early lobbying. Using granular survey data on the timing of lobby efforts by interest groups on Covid-19 related policies in 10 European democracies, we test this novel theory. Our results show that timing is an important predictor of lobbying influence, but that interest groups which are hardly affected by a new policy cannot benefit from early mover advantages in the same way as affected organizations. Moreover, we give evidence for differences in first mover advantages depending on organizational staff resources.

Time is ticking: the dynamics of education reform in the Covid-era

Purpose: This paper applies concepts from organizational theory as well as physics to elucidate the role of time in the US education system's efforts to recuperate from the pandemic. This paper contributes to an important body of work focusing on implementation of reform efforts in education that use time in innovative ways. Design/methodology/approach: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted time in educational organizations and, thus, for educators and students. Time has been a vital tool for educational reform, yet many applications of organizational theory and literature on educational change neglect to underscore its importance. The authors explore resources, guidelines and practices related to time employed to recuperate from pandemic-related disruptions to schooling. Findings: The authors discuss three cases in which time has been utilized to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) accelerated learning;(2) extended time;and (3) redeveloped professional learning. For each case, the authors demonstrate how time has been conceptualized and how leaders are stretching the space-time of schooling to provide resources and learning opportunities to students and educators. Practical implications: This article describes how district and school leaders can draw on their agency to reshape time-use in educational organizations. Originality/value: This article advances an innovative framework demonstrating the importance of time in educational change. The authors also portray innovative models that provide time for students to receive an array of responsive, equity-centered, academic and SEL opportunities and for educators to collaborate, continuing their own development amid the ever-shifting Covid-context. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Assessing real-world access to community-based mental health services for adolescents: A mixed methods mystery shopper study

One in five adolescents in the United States have a mental health (MH) disorder, yet less than half receive any MH care. Given the potential lifelong effects of MH problems in adolescence, it is vital that youth with MH disorders are offered timely access to effective treatment. Safety-net health agencies, such as community mental health centers (CMHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), are key points of access for families with adolescents in need of care, especially those enrolled in Medicaid. However, significant barriers exist which may reduce accessibility, including a paucity of qualified specialty providers, lack of insurance acceptance, onerous paperwork requirements, and long wait times. The overall objective of this mixed-methods study is to identify ways to increase timely access to effective MH services delivered in safety-net health agencies that serve adolescents enrolled in Medicaid. Paper 1 uses survey data to describe the availability and accessibility of outpatient MH services for children and adolescents at safety-net health agencies in Cook County, Illinois, a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States. Findings reveal that approximately 12% of agencies in the initial sample were closed. Roughly 20% of agencies reported not offering outpatient MH services to adolescents. These findings indicate that online directories are often inaccurate or out-of-date. The median wait time for virtual services was 60 days at CMHCs and 15 days at FQHCs. Paper 2 uses a mystery shopper methodology to assess how access to trauma-informed MH services delivered in safety-net outpatient health agencies varies by insurance status (Medicaid vs. private insurance), the race of the caller (White, Latina, or Black), and organizational type (CMHC vs. FQHC). Data indicate that barriers to access are high as less than 20% of pseudo-mothers could schedule an appointment. The primary reasons for appointment denials were a lack of appointment availability at CMHCs and the implementation of administrative burdens at FQHCs. Insurance type did not predict the ability to schedule an appointment, but the caller's race did predict access, indicating discrimination may occur at the point of scheduling.Paper 3 follows up on the findings from Papers 1 and 2 to help determine the administrative burdens that exist in safety-net health agencies and how they act as barriers to accessing MH services. Findings reveal that FQHCs implement a variety of administrative burdens on prospective clients, such as a requirement to designate their primary care physician into the FQHCs network through their insurance prior to scheduling, and frequently engage in other organizational practices that create burdens on families, such as difficult-navigate phone trees, voicemails that are never responded to, and rude or discriminatory interactions with schedulers. These administrative burdens act as barriers to families accessing care due to the psychological, learning, and compliance costs associated with them. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Schools’ improvement capacity and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from schools serving disadvantaged communities

The goal of this paper is to analyze the relationship between six different dimensions of school improvement capacity (SIC) and schools’ efforts to sustain teaching and learning as well as student well-being during the first lockdown in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on data from 13 qualitative interviews with principals and data from a standardized teacher survey at schools serving disadvantaged communities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (N = 385 teachers), we assessed (1) the schools’ level of SIC shortly before the lockdown, (2) their reported response to the lockdown with regard to sustaining student learning and well-being, and (3) similarities between the schools in terms of the combination of the level of SIC and the reported effort to address the challenges of distance learning. Our results suggest that two major groups of schools can be distinguished in terms of level of SIC. Furthermore, we identified a range of thematic clusters related to how schools acted during distance learning, each of which can be assigned to one or more dimensions of SIC. Finally, we identified four patterns, referring to different combinations of SIC and the schools’ reported actions. The results indicate that schools with a higher initial SIC were more able to find flexible and pragmatic solutions in order to sustain student learning and well-being during distance learning. Our findings stress the importance of school improvement activities at schools serving disadvantaged communities in dealing with sudden challenges for teaching and learning, such as those encountered during COVID-19. Copyright © 2022 Beckmann, Kötter-Mathes, Klein, Bremm and van Ackeren.

HEALTH SYSTEM RESILIENCY AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CASE STUDY OF A NEW NATIONWIDE CONTINGENCY STAFFING PROGRAM

BACKGROUND: While health systems researchers have advanced conceptual thinking about the meaning of “resilience”, specific suggestions regarding how systems can become more resilient remain scarce. Moreover, additional work is needed on strategies for developing a resilience-oriented workforce responsive to public healthcare needs during crisis. This study seeks to fill this evidence gap through consideration of a new program recently launched at the Veterans Health Administration (VA) called Clinical Resource Hubs (CRHs). CRHs provide contingency staffing for primary care and mental health services, using predominantly telehealth modalities in 18 regional networks. Drawing upon insights from organizational theory, we describe how CRH resources (e.g., additional primary care providers with telehealth expertise) were leveraged during the early days of COVID-19 to deliver patient care and workforce training and support, and key factors that facilitated these responses. We hypothesize that having flexible contingency providers and staff who specialize in telehealth modalities may increase a health system's resilience (e.g., ability to absorb shocks), while also providing needed contingency care during non-crisis times. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with CRH directors and national program leaders (n=26) and used a rapid analysis approach to identify actions taken by CRHs to support the resiliency of the VA healthcare system during the pandemic. RESULTS: Respondents reported that almost all CRHs assisted with VA's COVID-19 response by maintaining patient access to care during the pandemic. This was accomplished by providing virtual and in-person contingency staffing for outpatient and inpatient care and triage support in VA clinical settings and the private sector. For example, respondents described how CRHs provided virtual outpatient staffing coverage for primary care providers and nurses reassigned to hospitals during the surge;virtual coverage for inpatient units in social work and pharmacy;and virtual triage for nurse advice lines. In addition, respondents reported that CRHs provided workforce support through training, coaching, and care delivery. Finally, respondents discussed key factors that facilitated CRHs' ability to quickly respond to the pandemic which included hub staff expertise in telehealth and increased acceptability of virtual care among key stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the CRH program was flexible and nimble enough to respond to the demands of COVID-19. Having contingent staffing adept at virtual modes of care enabled VA health system resiliency during a public health crisis. As a multi-function program, CRHs may be a model for other similarly resourced healthcare organizations for supporting day-to-day operations through virtual staffing solutions, which can be redirected to meet human resource needs during shocks.

Balancing finances, politics, and public health: international student enrollment and reopening plans at US higher education institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drawing from resource dependence theory, this study explores the extent to which international student enrollment related to institutional decisions to shift to in-person instructional strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus our study particularly on July 2020, a time during which tensions around international students' legal status in the US were especially high. Our results suggest that leaders at private not-for-profit institutions were significantly more likely to shift instructional strategies to include more in-person instruction, thus allowing more international students to enroll but also placing at risk the health of individuals on their campuses and in their local communities. A similar result was not found for public institutions. These results speak to the extent to which private institutions in the US have become financially dependent on international students' tuition and have clear implications for the financial futures of US higher education institutions. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10734-021-00768-7.

"I Trust in Staff's Creativity"-The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Physical Activity Promotion in Nursing Homes Through the Lenses of Organizational Sociology.

Objectives: The health-enhancing benefits or regular physical activity (PA) reach into old age. With the emergence of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the associated national lockdowns and restrictions, nursing home residents were restrained from being physically active. In our study, we aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19-related restrictions on PA promotion in nursing homes from an organizational-sociological lens. Methods: We collected data in eight nursing homes in Germany. Data collection included (i) semistructured interviews focusing on COVID-19-related restrictions and their effects on nursing homes from the home administrators' perspectives; (ii) open-ended surveys with nursing home staff and relatives focusing on daily routines and contact restrictions; and (iii) collection of documents such as care concepts, mission statements, and weekly activity plans. We analyzed all data with a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Results: We identified three stages of COVID-19-related changes in nursing homes that impacted PA promotion, as follows: (1) external closure and search for emergency control, (2) organizational adaptations to create a livable daily life in the internal environment, and (3) slow reintegration of interactions with the external organizational environment. Document analysis revealed that PA promotion was not part of decision programs or internal staff work descriptions. Rather, PA promotion was delegated to external service providers. The assignment of PA promotion to external providers was not structurally anchored in decision programs, which makes PA promotion not sustainable, particularly during unforeseen events that limit access to the organization. During the pandemic, executive staff believed in internal staff to buffer competencies with regard to PA promotion. Thus, executive staff often considered PA promotion relevant, even during the pandemic, but thought that PA promotion is a task that can be fulfilled by unqualified but motivated internal staff. Conclusion: While our study participants showed a high level of coping-capacity belief, it remains unclear which long-term impacts of COVID-19 on PA promotion in nursing homes are to be expected. At the practice level, executive staff in nursing homes that aim to promote PA within their organization should become aware that PA promotion needs to be incorporated into organizational structures to be implemented and continued in challenging times such as in a pandemic.