Asada Y, Turner L, Schwartz M, Chriqui J F
Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W Roosevelt Rd, M/C 275, Chicago, IL 60608 USA.
College of Education, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, Idaho 83725 USA.
Implement Sci Commun. 2020 May 4;1:44. doi: 10.1186/s43058-020-00029-1. eCollection 2020.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-296) prompted the expansion of federal requirements for local school wellness policies, which aim to improve health promoting practices across school districts in the USA. This qualitative study examined how school district superintendents-as key school leaders who are often listed as the district accountability figure for wellness policies applicable to kindergarten through 12th grade-engaged with wellness policy implementation. The inquiry was guided by evidence-informed implementation and leadership frameworks, including the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and "bridging, buffering, and brokering" strategies from education leadership theory.
We conducted focus groups and interviews with superintendents ( = 39) from 23 states. Interviews were recorded and professionally transcribed; transcripts were team-coded in Atlas.ti v8 using an iteratively revised coding guide that was informed by CFIR, pilot testing, and during weekly analyst meetings. Principles of constant comparative analysis were employed to develop themes.
Most superintendents' reported positive perspectives and personal motivations to engage with wellness policy implementation. Within the CFIR process domain, superintendents demonstrated adaptive leadership traits and employed a combination of "bridging, buffering, and brokering" strategies to lead implementation activities. Rather than focus on personal traits, an emphasis on specific strategies highlights actions that may be applied.
The findings offer practical strategies to support superintendents with implementation, as well as a formative contribution to the dearth of theoretical frameworks in school wellness literature, particularly by advancing the specific understanding of leadership roles within a broader implementation framework. The application of education theory allowed for a deeper inquiry into the potential ways that leaders' strategies and engagement influences implementation more broadly.
2010年的《健康、无饥饿儿童法案》（公法111 - 296）促使联邦政府扩大了对当地学校健康政策的要求，这些政策旨在改善美国各学区的健康促进措施。这项定性研究考察了学区负责人——作为关键的学校领导者，他们通常被列为适用于幼儿园至12年级的健康政策的学区问责人物——是如何参与健康政策实施的。该调查以循证实施和领导力框架为指导，包括实施研究综合框架（CFIR）以及教育领导力理论中的“搭桥、缓冲和斡旋”策略。
我们对来自23个州的39名学区负责人进行了焦点小组讨论和访谈。访谈进行了录音并由专业人员转录；转录文本在Atlas.ti v8中由团队使用经过迭代修订的编码指南进行编码，该指南以CFIR、试点测试以及每周的分析师会议为依据。采用持续比较分析原则来确定主题。
大多数学区负责人表示对参与健康政策实施持积极态度并怀有个人动机。在CFIR过程领域，学区负责人展现出适应性领导特质，并采用“搭桥、缓冲和斡旋”策略的组合来领导实施活动。重点放在特定策略而非个人特质上，突出了可能适用的行动。
研究结果为支持学区负责人实施政策提供了实用策略，也对学校健康文献中理论框架的匮乏做出了建设性贡献，特别是通过在更广泛的实施框架内推进对领导角色的具体理解。教育理论的应用使得能够更深入地探究领导者的策略和参与更广泛地影响实施的潜在方式。
