Chapter 1 Misconceptions:

Politics is a Bad Word

Everyday conversations about politics in the US typically focus on conflicts and questionable tactics or decisions used in electoral campaigns or in official legislative bodies. These interpretations of the word politics often lead people to conclude that only bad can come from political activity. Many media examples support this impression.

Researchers who study the daily interactions surrounding decisions that affect policy and practices in school disagree that the only outcomes of politics are negative. Instead, researchers use the word politics to describe how conflicts are resolved in the decision-making process. In this approach, the word politics signals that different interests are involved, and also, given all these interests, multiple options and outcomes are available. The researchers want to know which groups, or groups' interests, surface and become the focus in the decision.

When school leaders reframe the conflicts they experience as expressions of different stakeholders' needs and wants, then the decision process can be more informed and a solution can include more options for satisfying those needs. When politics arise after a decision is made, school leaders can recognize these moments as evidence of unintended consequences that can lead to other opportunities for a better decision; one that addresses more stakeholders' needs and wants.

Of course, all school policy should remain focused on the best interests of the students. Even with that focus, many adults often put their own needs above the students' interests. In these instances, school leaders' must become the students' advocate. The life of school leadership is never conflict-free, and thus, never free of political activities or advocacy.