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Abstract

From Janice's journal: Our attempt at integrating curriculum? I taught outlining, and communicated what I was doing to my team. If they could do it too, what great reinforcement, I thought. I even gave out materials so they knew what I had done. All three thought the idea was great. So they said! Pam began to outline her material. Dave ignored it. Last week my kids told me that outlining is now used as a punishment in Steven's science class. “Be good or you outline two chapters!” HELP!

Not everyone took the chance to innovate and lead, as Janice did in her middle school. Quite a few were like Pam, watchful, cautious, waiting until they knew and saw more. Some were as indifferent and apathetic as Dave, and several scorned the innovations, as Steven did.

Each of those teachers represents one of the four different factions which arose within the member-schools of the Delaware RE: Learning initiative. This article explores the traits of those four perspectives, looks at how the groups ran “steering committees,” and considers the impact of factionalism on the changes the school made.

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The Micropolitics of RE: Learning

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