Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Educational Leadership, Research and Technology

First Advisor

Patricia Reeves, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Jianping Shen, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Albert Boerema, Ph.D.

Keywords

Faith-based schools, faith/learning integration, implementation gap, mission enactment, school leadership, sensemaking

Abstract

What happens in the space between a school’s espoused mission and the enactment of that mission in the classroom? For faith-based schools—institutions whose very identity rests upon a religiously grounded purpose—this question is not merely technical but existential. While these schools publicly espouse missions centered on a religious faith, research consistently suggests that what is proclaimed on paper is not always what is practiced in classrooms. The persistent gap between espoused mission and enacted practice raises a critical question: how do educators actually make sense of their school’s religious mission, and how does that sensemaking shape what they do?

This qualitative instrumental case study explores how PK–12 teachers and principals in faith-based schools enact the school’s espoused religious mission as they interpret and make sense of it in their daily work. Drawing on the Cognitive Model of Implementation developed by James P. Spillane and colleagues, the study examines the “space before enactment”—the interpretive process through which school leaders and educators develop meaning for the school’s faith-based mission and the important work of implementing that mission in the school and classrooms. Rather than assuming that espousing a mission automatically confers a prescribed set of classroom practices, this study investigates how mission understanding is formed, negotiated, and translated into action.

Using data from one Catholic and two Christian PK–12 schools in the Midwest area of the United States, the research employs a qualitative case study design using guided tours, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. Through this multi-site case study, the research found that faith-based schools enact the mission in a variety schooling areas through mission enactment activities such as (a) faith formation activities, (b) worldview development through classroom instruction, (c) teaching students how to live their faith, (d) teaching students knowledge of the faith, and (e) creating a faith community within the school. Further, the school leaders’ and teachers’ understanding for the mission and their work of implementation was primarily formed through their prior knowledge/experiences, social interactions inside and outside of the school system, and their personal beliefs and values.

By foregrounding perception and interpretation, this research reframes mission implementation not as a simple problem of compliance or fidelity, but as a cognitive and cultural process shaped by sensemaking. The findings aim to offer both theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, the study extends sensemaking research into the context of faith-based education. Practically, it equips school leaders with a deeper understanding of how mission communication moves beyond rhetoric toward embodied practice. For faith-based schools seeking integrity between their professed religious identity and their daily educational life, understanding how educators make sense of mission may be the key to closing the gap between what is said and what is lived.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

Download

Share

COinS