New Institutional Theory and its application in education reforms

New Institutional Theory

According to Labaree, reformers want schools to tackle meaty problems, but have seen
little success. Why has that been the case, according to Labaree’s organizational
analysis, and why isn’t that such a bad thing?
The educational reforms are the difficult because they require large scale efforts for the
transformation. The pedagogical progressive’s haven lost the battle of reshaping the
structure of schools. At the rhetorical level the reforms have helped a bit in solving the
issues of the community schools and universities. The major actors at this level are
educational judges, law makers and professors etc. (Donald Palmer, 2007)At the next
level, the actors of schools such as school administrators, board members develop and
implement the educational reforms. At the level of teaching practices the schools and
institutions should focus on using new teaching practices that can help in solving the
issues along with improving the knowledge of the students in classrooms. At the last
level of student learning the focus should be on improving the quality of knowledge that
students take from the class. It is essential for the schools and institutions to move from
each of the four levels discussed above in order to re shape the educational system.
(Labaree, 2017).

b) Using examples with which your familiar, choose 1 major education reform area
(e.g., anti-bullying / safe schools, anti-racism / equity, student engagement,
accountability, etc.) and an educational system (Canada or abroad, K-12 or PSE, as a
student or employee). Drawing on NIT(New Institutional Theory) concepts (loose
coupling, isomorphism, ceremonial compliance, etc.), discuss whether you think those
reforms are penetrating any of Labaree’s 4 levels.
School Bullying can be defined as the bullying particularly in an educational setting. An act
can be considered bullying if its hostile in nature, it causes distress, imbalance of power and
provocation. The educational systems play a crucial role in managing the social issues such
as School Bullying. Some of the important educational system is - (Canada or abroad, K-12
or PSE. Each of the education system has reforms for solving the issues such as School
Bullying. K 12 is one of the education systems in US and Canada. The reforms of K12 are
penetrating to NIT concepts - loose coupling, isomorphism, ceremonial compliance. This is
because the formal processes in the schools regarding the issues such as school bullying are
institutionalized and are maintained only for legitimacy. It has been seen that the schools
have detached from the cultural traditions political and economic structures. The ceremonial
compliance focuses on the need to adopt new ways and reforms for elimination the social
challenges without changing the core practices. For example: the schools can embrace the
code of ethics related to anti student bullying along with developing new health and safety
regulations. The units of schools should also not be connected loosely so that they can be
responsive to each other in context of solving the issues such as student bullying. (Labaree,
Someone Has to Fail, 2012)