Understanding the competing logics of district education office work: The case of Ghana

Abstract

District education offices are crucial to school-level policy implementation. Analyzing policy documents and interviews with over 75 stakeholders in Ghana, this study uses an institutional logic framework to examine four logics of district work: bureaucratic, political, civic, and professional. It reveals tensions between the district’s traditional top-down bureaucratic role, its political and civic roles embedded in decentralization reforms, and recent policies emphasizing a professional, instructional support role with schools. These competing logics are evident in the recent introduction of the delivery approach, which mandates performance contracts at all levels to enhance the implementation of policy priorities. The study presents a framework to understand the complex institutional environment district staff navigate to deliver education policy and support teaching and learning.