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Absorptive capacity: A conceptual framework for understanding district central office learning.

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Title: Absorptive capacity: A conceptual framework for understanding district central office learning.
Authors: Farrell, Caitlin1 caitlin.farrell@colorado.edu, Coburn, Cynthia2
Source: Journal of Educational Change. May2017, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p135-159. 25p. 1 Diagram.
Subject Terms: *School districts, *School administration, *School centralization, *School boards, Absorptive capacity (Economics)
Abstract: Globally, school systems are pressed to engage in large-scale school improvement. In the United States and other countries, school district central offices and other local governing agencies often engage with external organizations and individuals to support such educational change efforts. However, initiatives with external partners are not always productive. We draw on the idea of absorptive capacity to present a conceptual framework for understanding when and under what conditions partnerships are likely to foster district learning and support change efforts. We contend that prior knowledge, communication pathways, strategic knowledge leadership, and resources to partner are preconditions for a district central office's absorptive capacity, and we identify the features of the external partner that likely matter for productive partnering. We argue that the relationship between district absorptive capacity and features of the partner is mediated by the nature of the interactions between district and partner, with likely consequences for organizational learning outcomes. For researchers, this framework serves as a tool for understanding how a district central office can learn from an external partner for educational improvement efforts. For school district leaders and external partners, this framework provides a structure for thinking strategically about when and under what conditions a partnership is likely to be productive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Educational Change is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Absorptive capacity: A conceptual framework for understanding district central office learning.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Farrell%2C+Caitlin%22">Farrell, Caitlin</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> caitlin.farrell@colorado.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Coburn%2C+Cynthia%22">Coburn, Cynthia</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Educational+Change%22">Journal of Educational Change</searchLink>. May2017, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p135-159. 25p. 1 Diagram.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+districts%22">School districts</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+administration%22">School administration</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+centralization%22">School centralization</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+boards%22">School boards</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Absorptive+capacity+%28Economics%29%22">Absorptive capacity (Economics)</searchLink>
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  Data: Globally, school systems are pressed to engage in large-scale school improvement. In the United States and other countries, school district central offices and other local governing agencies often engage with external organizations and individuals to support such educational change efforts. However, initiatives with external partners are not always productive. We draw on the idea of absorptive capacity to present a conceptual framework for understanding when and under what conditions partnerships are likely to foster district learning and support change efforts. We contend that prior knowledge, communication pathways, strategic knowledge leadership, and resources to partner are preconditions for a district central office's absorptive capacity, and we identify the features of the external partner that likely matter for productive partnering. We argue that the relationship between district absorptive capacity and features of the partner is mediated by the nature of the interactions between district and partner, with likely consequences for organizational learning outcomes. For researchers, this framework serves as a tool for understanding how a district central office can learn from an external partner for educational improvement efforts. For school district leaders and external partners, this framework provides a structure for thinking strategically about when and under what conditions a partnership is likely to be productive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Educational Change is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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