Ties in Tumultuous Times - Educators’ Workplace Relationships as the Intersection of People, Policy, and Politics

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious

This qualitative study examines how secondary school educators in the United States conceptualized workplace relationships during the 2021–2022 school year, when in-person instruction returned amid ongoing public health crises and intensified politicization of school policy. Drawing on micropolitical theory and data from 54 educators across 26 online focus groups and interviews, the study shows relationships were shaped by individual characteristics and school policies. Political homophily influenced bonds, while ideological misalignment produced isolation, affecting belonging, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, highlighting the need for inclusive environments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Context: COVID-19, reopening, and politicization

Study Framework and Research Questions

Workplace relationships and micropolitical theory

How theories capture relational dynamics

AERA Open January-December 2025, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 1–18 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584251347170 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2025. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) Ties in Tumultuous Times: Educators’Workplace Relationships as the Intersection of People, Policy, and Politics Melanie Muskin Northwestern University Ta-yang Hsieh Search Institute This qualitative study explores how secondary school educators in the United States conceptualized their workplace relationships during the 2021–2022 school year, which was a period marked by a return to in-person instruction amidst ongoing public health crises and heightened politicization of school policy and practice. Drawing on micropolitical theory, we analyze data from 54 educators who participated in 26 online focus groups and interviews. Findings reveal that workplace relationships were shaped by a combination of individual characteristics and school policies. Political homophily emerged as a key factor that influenced educators’ relationships. Educators bonded over shared political beliefs and experienced isolation when misaligned with dominant ideologies at their schools. These interpersonal dynamics shaped educators’ senses of belonging, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, underscoring the need for inclusive school environments that allow for ideological diversity. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, educators, job satisfaction, micropolitics, political ideologies, policy, politics, qualitative research, retention, stress/coping, teacher context, well-being, work, workplace relationships The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly altered how American educators worked. In March 2020, educators experienced the largest school closure movement in recent history (Zviedrite et al., 2021) . For much of the 2020–2021 school year, educators operated in isolated, virtual environments, disrupting the rhythms of face-to-face collaboration and connection that had been central to school life (Kraft et al., 2021) . In 2021–2022, most schools reopened (Parks et al., 2021), charging educators with working in-person even as health guidelines continued to evolve until the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared over in May 2023 (Sarker et al., 2023) . Hence, the 2021–2022 school year marked a pivotal moment for rebuilding in-person relationships as many educators returned from working remotely. Compounding reopening challenges, educators faced a heightened politicization of school policy and practice. Mirroring ideological conflicts across the country, debates over mask mandates, vaccine requirements, and social distancing guidelines permeated schools (James et al., 2022; Stroebe et al., 2021) . Pitched battles about how to teach race (López et al., 2021; Vue et al., 2024) and gender (Polikoff et al., 2024) amplified tensions, thrusting educators into politically charged public discourse in an increasingly polarized nation (Abramowitz & Webster, 2016; Iyengaret al., 2018) . These intersecting dynamics created an environment of unprecedented complexity, making the 2021– 2022 school year a unique context for studying the nature of educators’ workplace relationships and whether these relationships mitigated or exacerbated external pressures. Workplace relationships are central to an educator’s sense of belonging (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011), self-efficacy (Nias, 2005), organizational commitment (Canrinus et al., 2012), and retention (Hopkins et al., 2019) . Supportive and collaborative ties contribute to high-functioning schools and strong student outcomes (Ronfeldt et al., 2015) . While much is known about how educators develop these ties, existing research often examines educators’ relationships within the context of specific reform efforts (Penuel et al., 2009) . Little is known about how educators’ workplace relationsh

FAQs

What time period does the study focus on, and why is it significant?

The study focuses on the 2021–2022 school year. It was pivotal as many educators returned to in-person work while public health issues and political debates heightened tensions in schools.

How did the researchers study educators’ workplace relationships?

Researchers used micropolitical theory and analyzed data from 54 educators who participated in 26 online focus groups and interviews.

What role did political homophily play in workplace relationships?

Political homophily emerged as a key factor shaping educators’ relationships. Educators bonded over shared political beliefs and experienced isolation when their views conflicted with dominant ideologies at their schools.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious