A Fork in the Road: Narrative Problem Solving for School Leaders

A Fork in the Road presents the narrative approach to problem solving often employed by mediators and therapists as lens through which school system leaders can view the component parts of the difficult issues they face to better define and resolve them. Narrative problem solving is based on the precept that humans construct an understanding of their problems from the stories they hear and tell about those problems. Therapists and mediators deliberately mine these narratives to understand the origin, nature, and the extent of their client’s problem, and to reveal the alternative storylines and possible resolutions embedded in those stories. This same approach can allow board members, practicing and aspiring superintendents and other school administrators to view an institutional problem from a distance and learn the differing perspectives of those involved and affected to better under the problem’s reach and risks, and explore possible solutions. The book provides an explanation of narrative problem solving and a series of essential questions to guide the reader through the process. It offers twelve stories in narrative form that invite the reader to explore institutional challenges through the narrative lens. An analysis of each story explores the possible path to resolution embedded in the stories.