Agents of Change and Continuity: The Pivotal Role of Teachers in Albanian Educational Reform and Democratization

Abstract

This article explores how teachers navigate and respond to the competing pressures of school change in a global policy context. In postcommunist Albania, national policies reflecting global norms for the teacher’s role overshadowed complex and cultural aspects of teaching and learning and, as a result, led to gaps in implementation. On the basis of ethnographic research and the analysis of two Albanian teachers’ narratives, this article shows the complexity of the teachers’ world as well as their significant dual role as agents of change and stakeholders of continuity. Findings suggest that in response to pressures, teachers selectively adopted reform policies and created hybrid forms of practice. To avoid unintended consequences, policy makers should thus reinforce teachers’ experiential knowledge along with policy aims.