A study of the educational facilities planning process within the context of a social and political environment

Abstract

The extensive need to renovate, replace, and plan educational facilities may sound like an overwhelming task, but it also presents a great opportunity for educational leaders to plan and design schools that will meet the needs of students being educated in the 21st century. In order for leaders to successfully address the planning and design of educational facilities, research should be undertaken that examines the authentic context of the planning process. Insight into the political and social dimensions of change may allow leaders to successfully guide stakeholders through the social and political dimensions of change. The purpose of investigating one planning episode in one school district was to develop an understanding of how an educational leader guided stakeholders through the social and political dimensions that existed within the authentic context of the planning process. Three major themes emerged from the in-depth interviews and data analysis. First, the leader engaged key stakeholders to create a collaborative and meaningful planning process. Second, the effective actions of the leader contributed to a meaningful planning process. Third, the leader successfully shaped the context of the planning process.