This article focuses on the broader political sphere as it affects superintendents and other constituents of rural districts. The current landscape of education reform focuses on accountability--particularly at the policy level of both state and federal education agencies. This article draws on the literature and an empirical study that examined…

Teacher union leaders face an apparent paradox between dual interests--teachers' educational interests and self-interests. This case study of a small New York school district demonstrates how union members and leaders constructed the dualities differently and how these constructions influenced their behavior. The paradox-construction perspective…