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Having It Both Ways: Building the Capacity of Individual Teachers and Their Schools
Abstract
In this article, Susan Moore Johnson calls for a balanced approach to improving teaching and learning, one that focuses on both teachers and the contexts in which they work. Drawing on over a decade of research on the experiences of new teachers, Johnson argues that focusing on the effectiveness of individuals while ignoring how their schools are organized limits our capacity to support teachers' work and, thus, to improve the outcomes for our nation's neediest students.
... Additionally, building the capacity of educators is crucial for successful curriculum implementation. Johnson (2012) argues that professional development and continuous support for teachers are vital components of curriculum development. Providing teachers with the necessary training and resources enables them to effectively deliver the curriculum and adapt to new educational trends and technologies. ...
... Providing teachers with the necessary training and resources enables them to effectively deliver the curriculum and adapt to new educational trends and technologies. This holistic approach ensures that teachers are wellequipped to meet the diverse needs of their students and create a conducive learning environment (Johnson, 2012). ...
... Furthermore, the professional development of educators plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches. Johnson (2012) argues that continuous training and support for teachers are necessary for the successful implementation of innovative teaching methods (Johnson, 2012). Building the capacity of teachers to adapt to new pedagogical trends and technologies ensures that they are well-equipped to meet the diverse needs of their students. ...
This literature review rigorously examines pedagogical approaches in trade policy education within public administration programs, with the goal of enhancing educational strategies for future public administrators in the context of global trade. Recognizing the vital role of trade policy in economic development, international relations, and governance, the review explores the evolution, current state, and challenges of trade policy education. The scope includes an analysis of traditional lectures, case studies, experiential learning, interdisciplinary teaching, and the role of technology in modernizing educational practices. Using a qualitative methodology, the review synthesizes insights from literature reviews, case studies, and comparative analyses of curricula across various public administration programs. Findings indicate that while traditional lectures provide essential theoretical knowledge, their effectiveness is significantly enhanced by case studies and experiential learning methods, such as simulations and role-playing exercises. These methods foster practical application and critical
... Additionally, building the capacity of educators is crucial for successful curriculum implementation. Johnson (2012) argues that professional development and continuous support for teachers are vital components of curriculum development. Providing teachers with the necessary training and resources enables them to effectively deliver the curriculum and adapt to new educational trends and technologies. ...
... Providing teachers with the necessary training and resources enables them to effectively deliver the curriculum and adapt to new educational trends and technologies. This holistic approach ensures that teachers are wellequipped to meet the diverse needs of their students and create a conducive learning environment (Johnson, 2012). ...
... Furthermore, the professional development of educators plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches. Johnson (2012) argues that continuous training and support for teachers are necessary for the successful implementation of innovative teaching methods (Johnson, 2012). Building the capacity of teachers to adapt to new pedagogical trends and technologies ensures that they are well-equipped to meet the diverse needs of their students. ...
This literature review rigorously examines pedagogical approaches in trade policy education within public administration programs, with the goal of enhancing educational strategies for future public administrators in the context of global trade. Recognizing the vital role of trade policy in economic development, international relations, and governance, the review explores the evolution, current state, and challenges of trade policy education. The scope includes an analysis of traditional lectures, case studies, experiential learning, interdisciplinary teaching, and the role of technology in modernizing educational practices. Using a qualitative methodology, the review synthesizes insights from literature reviews, case studies, and comparative analyses of curricula across various public administration programs. Findings indicate that while traditional lectures provide essential theoretical knowledge, their effectiveness is significantly enhanced by case studies and experiential learning methods, such as simulations and role-playing exercises. These methods foster practical application and critical
... Additionally, building the capacity of educators is crucial for successful curriculum implementation. Johnson (2012) argues that professional development and continuous support for teachers are vital components of curriculum development. Providing teachers with the necessary training and resources enables them to effectively deliver the curriculum and adapt to new educational trends and technologies. ...
... Providing teachers with the necessary training and resources enables them to effectively deliver the curriculum and adapt to new educational trends and technologies. This holistic approach ensures that teachers are wellequipped to meet the diverse needs of their students and create a conducive learning environment (Johnson, 2012). ...
... Furthermore, the professional development of educators plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches. Johnson (2012) argues that continuous training and support for teachers are necessary for the successful implementation of innovative teaching methods (Johnson, 2012). Building the capacity of teachers to adapt to new pedagogical trends and technologies ensures that they are well-equipped to meet the diverse needs of their students. ...
This literature review rigorously examines pedagogical approaches in trade policy education within public administration programs, with the goal of enhancing educational strategies for future public administrators in the context of global trade. Recognizing the vital role of trade policy in economic development, international relations, and governance, the review explores the evolution, current state, and challenges of trade policy education. The scope includes an analysis of traditional lectures, case studies, experiential learning, interdisciplinary teaching, and the role of technology in modernizing educational practices. Using a qualitative methodology, the review synthesizes insights from literature reviews, case studies, and comparative analyses of curricula across various public administration programs. Findings indicate that while traditional lectures provide essential theoretical knowledge, their effectiveness is significantly enhanced by case studies and experiential learning methods, such as OPEN
... The first approach emphasizes personnel change and focuses on strategies to attract top talent into the teaching profession to replace less effective teachers (Kennedy, 2010;McKinsey and Company, 2010). However, this approach can hardly be effective on a systemic scale given the fact that in general the top candidates tend to choose high-paying professions such as business and law, and even when they do join the teaching profession, they are less likely to serve and stay in dysfunctional schools in high-poverty communities (Wang and Gao, 2013;Johnson, 2012). ...
... Scholarly debate on improving instruction has focused on two alternative approaches, namely, improving teachers and improving schools (Johnson, 2012). The first approach highlights the uneven distribution of quality teachers as the cause of learning gaps among schools (Rowan et al., 2002;Sanders, 1998). ...
... The second approach, by contrast, turns attention from individuals to the school context and from teachers to teaching (Hiebert and Morris, 2012;Johnson, 2012;Lewis et al., 2012;Stigler and Thompson, 2009). The school-focused approach rejects the conception that school capacity is the simple sum of the capacities of individual teachers and strongly influenced by the characteristics of teacher composition. ...
... Teacher quality is conditioned not only by teacher characteristics but also by the school and district characteristics (Hanushek and Rivkin 2006). Recent research has emphasized the role that context of instruction plays in the quality of teaching (Darling-Hammond 2012;Bryk et al. 2012;Johnson 2012;Graue et al. 2012). Everson et al. (2013) suggest that teachers should be evaluated on their work considering that it takes place in an institution with a given student population and a given amount of resources. ...
... In addition, our model attempts to explicitly take into account the collective feature of teaching and hypothesizes that teaching quality, as measured by different instruments, is not the exclusive result of individual teachers' work, but rather it is shaped by teachers working together in combination with school and municipal leadership and by the organizational culture and structure in which students and teachers work (Cohen et al. 2003;Bryk et al. 2012;Johnson 2012;Graue et al. 2012). School, district, and community variables (e.g., size, per pupil expenditure, number of children in free-reduced reduced lunch, median housing price) have been found to be related to teacher application probability in National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) studies, and their effect has been conceptualized as having a direct effect on teachers' workload and time available to spend on the certification process . ...
... The importance of the school has been highlighted by other studies that have found a high proportion of student score variance associated to the school level (Martínez 2013;Cervini 2009). These results are in line with Johnson's (2012) description of teacher quality as situated in an organizational context. Municipal variables included in the model, however, do not play an important role in the estimation of teacher effects: the correlation between estimates from a model which includes students', teachers', and schools' characteristics (M5) and those from a model which also include municipal variables (M6) is larger, namely, r = 0.99 (see Table 3). ...
This research examines empirically the relationship between two measures of teacher quality: one based on professional standards and a second one using teacher value-added estimates. It also studies the extent to which teacher observable characteristics, such as teacher training variables, are associated to better performance on either of these measures and whether any of these two assessments is able to effectively measure teacher quality isolated from the effect of the context where teachers work. Context in this article is defined as any variable that is not under the direct control of the teacher but plays an important role on student learning and we believe is captured by school and municipal variables. The study uses hierarchical linear models and information from national and standardized assessments from Chile, specifically from the municipal education sector. Results show a small correlation between the two measures of teacher quality, in the lower end of results from previous studies conducted in the USA, and suggest that there is only a limited relationship between both measures of teacher quality. Teacher initial education type and professional development were statistically associated only to the standard-based measure of teacher quality. Context (both the school and municipal levels) plays an important role in the teacher effect measure, and in the standard-based measures, therefore, we conclude that neither of these measures are context-free. We expect that these results will contribute to the discussion about how to best measure teacher quality and how to evaluate teacher performance both in Chile and other parts of the world.
... Respondents for these authors " study emphasised the provision of competitive remuneration (including overtime pay, bonuses, annual anniversary allowances, options, profit sharing, share purchase plans, subsidised rent, cash in lieu of leave, extra superannuation for two or more years of service, living away from home allowances, contract completion bonus, salary sacrifice, car leasing). With regards to staff retention strategies obtaining in Universities in the Netherlands, [31] came up with three findings. First, there are often fringe benefits and allowances that academics may receive on top of their wages. ...
... Staff retention strategies are viewed and valued differently by different organisations ([62];[64]). The way how particular staff retention strategies manage to retain key staff members in different organisations is subject to the nature of the available staff retention strategies and the needs of the staff members ([31];[44];[47]). While public and private universities appear to have staff retention strategies of their own kind and making, it remains to be empirically found out whether or not such staff retention strategies are coactive in nature on the basis of the Human Resources personnel perspective. ...
... This section provides the researcher with an opportunity to select related findings from the world " s different continents and countries " contexts. First, from Europe, [31] highlights staff retention strategies obtaining in German universities. Professors were found to be generally civil servants with permanent lifelong positions that they have obtained after " habilitation " a formal post-doctoral qualification usually earned after a publication of a major book and a public lecture. ...
... Real innovation comes from the social matrix... [and] is a relationship with a dynamic fundamentally different from ordinary communication" (Schrage, 1990:40-41). Johnson (2012) explains collaboration in the following four ways: ...
... In this technological era teachers' professional development includes using various kinds of technology to foster teachers' 182 growth. It should further incorporate a collaborative, communal approach and create a more dynamic and engaged learning community (Johnson, 2012). ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible determinants of quality mathematics teaching which could mark those schools and teachers effective in mathematics teaching among selected Mahikeng secondary schools of the North-West Province. Moreover, the intention was to develop a model towards improved learner outcomes in mathematics which can possibly be a diagnostic tool for better performance. The literature study was carried out on relevant theories, outcomes of previous studies involving similar issues and empirical inquiry tailed. The researcher used a sequential explanatory strategy i.e. mixed-methods, starting with quantitative method followed by qualitative method in a case-study paradigm. It was revealed that teachers generally have a variety of challenges in different schools that affect effective mathematics teaching. These factors included, amongst others, unresponsive professional teacher development, lack of support by stakeholders, learner indiscipline, challenges in learner assessments and promotions, learner age cohort, underachieving learners, lack of safety and security, school location, congested work schedules, overcrowding and overload as well as poor leadership styles. The findings further indicated that a lack of effectiveness in mathematics teaching results in demoralisation of both teachers and learners, which affects the learner outcomes in mathematics, suggesting a relationship between effective mathematics teaching and learner outcomes in mathematics. The study concludes that effectiveness may usher in improved learner outcomes in mathematics and performance may show the way to effectiveness. The study developed a model towards improved learner outcomes in mathematics (tiLOM);
which may be used as a diagnostic tool for effective mathematics teaching and improved learner performance. The identified attributes/conditions in the model supplement each other for the success of this intervention model.
... Civil Technology construction teachers are mandatory to cover the core business of their responsibility. According to Johnson (2012), good teaching does not happen by chance, but thoughtful planning is needed to create effective lessons and enhance learning. Civil Technology construction teachers are expected to assess hand tools skills during PAT and any other informal activities. ...
... Teachers did not have lesson plans and that hampered effective teaching and learning. The teachers' practice in this aspect does not concur with Johnson (2012), that good teaching does not happen by chance, but thoughtful planning is needed to create effective lessons and enhance learning. Pedagogical Knowledge is teachers' deep knowledge about the processes and practices or methods of teaching and learning. ...
The study investigated the significance of hand tool skills in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era in teaching the construction concept in a civil Technology subject. The construction concept is one of the most practical concepts in civil Technology that is learnt in the Further Education and Training stream in the South African education curriculum. It deals with issues that cut across bricklaying and plumbing among others. Purposive sampling was used to select six teachers to take part in the study. Classroom observation and semi-structured interviews were used as instruments for data collection. The Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge framework was used to support the study. Data were analysed descriptively for classroom observations and through verbatim quotes for interviews with teachers. The study's findings discovered that teachers lack knowledge and understanding of 4IR and that they fail to use instructional practices that prepare learners for the 4IR jobs because of a lack of support from school officials. Teachers also lack the essential technologies to prepare learners that would thrive in the 4IR workplaces; hence their instructional practices are still using hand tools in the construction concept, which is not significant to the current trends. The study recommends that the Department of Education needs to train teachers to be ready to prepare learners for the 4IR jobs within the construction sector.
... Numerous organizational factors may influence whether and how teachers engage in meaningful collaboration, including professional norms of teaching, physical aspects of school buildings, and how learning is organized. While earlier studies characterized teaching as having a strong culture of individualism (Little, 1990;Lortie, 1977), many changes in recent decades have shifted norms to encourage professional collaboration among teachers (Hargreaves, 2019;Johnson, 2012). The physical layout of school buildings and teachers' physical proximity to each other may also influence the degree to which teachers have opportunities to engage in conversations about teaching (Spillane et al., 2017). ...
... Overall, almost all teachers in this statewide sample report regularly participating in at least one collaborative learning activity. This reported frequency is similar to estimates from other large teacher surveys (Johnston & Tsai, 2018;Ronfeldt et al., 2015) and supports the argument that peer collaboration is increasingly becoming a universal expectation of teachers' professional practice (Hargreaves, 2019;Johnson, 2012). For many teachers, it appears that their professional experiences no longer mirror the traditional notion in which teachers work as sole practitioners behind closed doors in "egg crate" schools (Lortie, 1977). ...
Purpose: Collaborative workgroups can be particularly fruitful sites for teachers to learn and improve. Prior research has illustrated how teachers' engagement in collaboration differs across school contexts. However, this research offers little guidance for leaders hoping to encourage collaborative learning among teachers in their school. Research Methods: Using survey and administrative data from teachers across Tennessee, this study examines the extent to which teachers in a large statewide sample (N = 9889) report engaging in collaborative learning opportunities and how these opportunities are distributed across and within schools. Using a series of multilevel models, I examine whether organizational conditions of schools influenced by school leaders are associated with the teacher-reported frequency and helpfulness of collaborative learning opportunities. Findings: I find significant variation in frequency across context (e.g., school level, geographic context, district size) and find that collaborative planning time consistently predicts how often teachers collaborate. Once accounting for frequency, teachers rate their collaboration as more helpful in schools with higher ratings of the professional climate/leadership and lower ratings of administrative oversight over collaboration. These relationships vary somewhat across contexts, with stronger negative relationships between oversight and helpfulness in schools with weak professional climates and large schools. Implications: Leaders should consider how to structure their schedules to allow for regular collaboration during the school day but should be cautious in mandating how teachers spend large portions of this collaborative time without shared decision-making with teachers.
... Teacher leaders make other teachers stronger with the support they provide, ensure professional development with the studies conducted among colleagues and contribute to positive changes at school (Wenner and Campbell, 2017). Teachers acting in professional cooperation review the success of students (Johnson, 2012) and focus on student learning (Lewis, Perry, Friedkin, Roth, 2012). In conclusion, a positive change begins in the organization depending on the fact that colleagues improve each other at schools (Johnson, 2012). ...
... Teachers acting in professional cooperation review the success of students (Johnson, 2012) and focus on student learning (Lewis, Perry, Friedkin, Roth, 2012). In conclusion, a positive change begins in the organization depending on the fact that colleagues improve each other at schools (Johnson, 2012). According to these statements, it is expected from schools to provide better educational service, reveal successful learning products and increase effectiveness characteristics with professional cooperation at schools. ...
In this study, the relationship between teacher leadership and school effectiveness was examined according to the teacher perceptions. 546 teachers in total
working at primary, secondary and high schools in Üsküdar district of Istanbul
participated in the study. The “Teacher Leadership Scale” and “Effective School
Scale” were used to collect the data in the study. The arithmetic mean, Pearson
Product-Moment Correlation Coefcient and Multiple Linear Regression analysis
were used in the analysis of the data. The results of the study indicated that school
program and educational process were the most effective dimension and the student dimension was the least effective dimension among the school effectiveness
dimensions. The level of exhibiting teacher leadership behaviors was found to
be above the medium level. It was also found out that all dimensions of teacher
leadership had positive and signifcant relationships with all dimensions of school
effectiveness. On the other hand, the results of the study indicated that institutional
development was the signifcant and the only common predictor of all dimensions
of school effectiveness among the teacher leadership dimensions. The results of the
study were discussed with regard to the related literature, and some suggestions
were presented.
... Bunun aksine ulusal alanyazında konuyla ilgili çalışmaların henüz yeni olduğu ve konunun farklı yönleriyle ele alınması gerektiği görülmüştür. Dolayısıyla bu çalışmada mesleki öğrenme topluluklarının kavramsal çerçevesi, temel varsayımları, teorik temelleri, hedefleri, boyutları, detailed examinations (Johnson, 2012;Morrisey, 2000) and try to solve learning and teaching-related problems (Darling-Hammond and Sykes, 1999;DuFour and Eaker, 1998). On the other hand, various and model practices among different teachers are learned with the cooperation among colleagues (Mangrum, 2004), good practices in education become widespread in schools (Hiebert and Morris, 2012), the improvement of teachers that are not sufficient at the professional level is ensured, and thus, school capacities are increased (Wang, Wang, Li and Li, 2017). ...
... Mesleki öğrenme toplulukları okullarda öğrenci öğrenmelerini ve öğretimini geliştirmektedir (Hord, 1997). Okullar mesleki öğrenme toplulukları ile öğrenci başarılarını izler ve değerlendirirler, daha detaylı incelemeler yaparlar (Johnson, 2012;Morrisey, 2000), öğrenme ve öğretim ile ilgili problemleri çözmeye çalışırlar (Darling-Hammond ve Sykes, 1999; DuFour ve Eaker, 1998). Diğer taraftan meslektaşlar arası işbirliği ile farklı öğretmenler arasındaki değişik ve örnek uygulamalar öğrenilir (Mangrum, 2004), öğretimde iyi uygulamalar okulda yaygınlaşır (Hiebert ve Morris, 2012), mesleki düzeyde yeterli olmayan öğretmenlerin gelişimi sağlanır ve böylece okul kapasiteleri artırılmış olur (Wang, Wang, Li ve Li, 2017). ...
The purpose of restructuring schools as professional learning
communities (PLCs) is to make instruction more effective and maximise
student learning through administrators' and teachers' implementing
better practices based on a support culture. In this respect, teachers
identify student learning by focusing on analyses and assessments on
students' performance. They make plans regarding what and how to
teach, and try to enhance the quality of learning by preparing action plan
for students who cannot learn at the desired rate and level. They attempt
to reveal successful learning products, and organise activities for
students who learn quickly and sufficiently. In schools that have an
emphasis on the understanding of a professional learning community,
the focus is on student learning that is the technical essence of the
school, and instructing is emphasised less. This is because instructing is
about making students comprehend certain pieces of information, while
learning makes references to their individual, emotional, cognitive and
behavioural characteristics. In other words, a student is regarded as
special in learning. From this perspective, the practices of professional
learning communities aim to have a school environment in which all
students can learn and succeed, and includes activities of improvement
and development. In this way, they ensure higher quality of education.
In this study, positive contributions of the restructuring of schools
as professional learning communities to student learning and the quality
of education are found to increase the interest in this issue. Different
characteristics of schools as professional learning communities are
observed to be widely examined in the international literature. However,
in the Turkish literature, studies on professional learning communities
are quite new, and this phenomenon need to be examined from different
aspects. Therefore, the present study focuses on the conceptual
framework, basic assumptions, theoretical foundations, objectives,
dimensions and samples of professional learning communities, and
provides suggestions regarding its implementation in Turkish schools
... In professional learning communities, teachers' classroom observations, preparing common lesson plans and guiding new colleagues are among the important activities (Wang et al., 2017). In addition, student achievement is monitored across the school and measures are taken (Johnson, 2012). In other words, it can be stated that professional learning communities are in the centre of the activities towards ensuring the sharing of any type of experiences, and gathered teachers around a common vision. ...
... At the same time, a positive learning environment emerges with a positive learning climate and a support-based understanding (Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace, Thomas, 2006). A change begins within the organisation due to colleagues' improving each other at school (Johnson, 2012). Therefore, competences related to teaching improve, and an increase is achieved in student achievement (Jackson & Bruegmann, 2009). ...
The objective of this study is to examine the relationships between the levels of schools for being professional learning communities and teacher professionalism based on teachers' perceptions. The participants were a total of 543 teachers working at elementary, middle and high schools in the Eyüp District of Istanbul. The data were gathered through the "Professional Learning Community Scale" and the "Teacher Professionalism Scale". The results showed that the teachers' perceptions on schools becoming professional learning communities and teacher professionalism were above moderate level. There were positive and significant correlations between all dimensions regarding the levels of schools for being professional learning communities, and teacher professionalism. Besides, the only significant and positive predictor of teacher professionalism was found to be the dimension "collective learning and applications" of professional learning community scale.
... Internationally, a very considerable volume of research establishes that the induction or beginning year of teaching is a particular, inherently complex, pivotally important professional phase (e.g. Johnson 2004Johnson , 2012Johnson 2007, 2010;Watzke 2007;Wang, Odell, and Schwille 2008;Conway et al. 2009;Hobson et al. 2009;Feiman-Nemser 2001McNally and Blake 2010;Schatz-Oppenheimer and Dvir 2014;Langdon et al. 2014;Dicke et al. 2015). In contrast to the considerable volume of research conducted on NQT experience internationally, comparatively little in-depth analysis has been undertaken on the induction phase of teaching in the Republic of Ireland (Aitken and Harford 2011). ...
... Involving a fundamental shift in identity, arising from a necessary deprivatisation of practice, the creation of collegial, facilitative school environments must be a core value informing the development of mentoring and probationary supports in schools. While mindful of the challenges involved in developing collaborative cultures (Achinstein 2002), schools that seek to dispense with novice-expert dualisms (Orland-Barak and Yinon 2005; Leshem 2008; Ulvik and Langørgen 2012) and work towards achieving a school-wide 'integrated professional culture' (Kardos and Johnson 2007), involving reciprocal, two-way interactions about teaching and learning among NQTs and experienced mentor teachers, constitute those settings where desired policy outcomes are more likely to be achieved (Johnson 2012). ...
Framed within the burgeoning policy and research literature on teacher induction internationally, this paper focuses on the mentoring and probationary-related experiences of nine newly qualified primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland, during the course of their initial year of workplace practice, post-graduation. Gleaning newly qualified teachers’ (NQTs’) perspectives on these matters is opportune, as the Teaching Council’s new model of induction entitled Droichead (bridge in Irish) is envisaged to become the sole induction and probation route for all NQTs. Transacted during the 2010/2011 school year, when the induction and probationary arrangements in place were those that the Droichead initiative is intended to replace, a three-cycle, individual interview design facilitated continuing contact with each NQT. Selected, representative interview data are utilised to illustrate the dynamics of NQTs’ experiences of mentoring and probationary-related processes. Empirically based findings establish, firstly, beginner complicity in the transaction of narrowly conceived mentoring support; secondly, enamorment of the reifications of initial teacher education-phase teaching practice when negotiating probationary processes; thirdly, the valuing of techniques that respond to immediate, probationary-related requirements over more complex forms of practice; and fourthly, the inevitable and essential interconnectedness of mentoring and probationary processes. The paper concludes with implications for the design and implementation of induction programmes.
... Echoing the preceding scholar's view, [3], point out that, " It can be deduced that employee retention strategies, are policies and practices an organisation adopts to prevent valuable employees from leaving the job while at the same time securing their trust and loyalty so as to reduce their desire to leave in the future. " Also, in Nigeria, staff retention strategies are about appropriate rewards and job satisfaction [4] in [2,5] in [6] performance pay [7] in [2] and participative decision making and information sharing [8] in [2,9] in [2,10] in [2]. Staff retention strategies are, therefore, deliberate means in the form of worker-centred policies that organisations adopt and put into practice in a bid to retain their best personnel. ...
... Because of the different brands universities have, their allowances differ from one university to another in terms of competitiveness and attractiveness. These findings largely concur with [6]'s findings citing [56,57,58,59] who observe that surveys and qualitative case studies by various researchers document the ways in which differences among schools influence teachers' opportunities and innovation for success. Critical observation in the preceding empirical evidence is the fact that teachers who enjoy associating with success are more likely to stay more than those who do not. ...
... This reliance on personal contributions isn't merely unsustainable but patently unjust. As Johnson (2012) highlighted, the clarion call among the education community is for a comprehensive overhaul of funding structures, ensuring that educators are aware of fiscal responsibilities that should fall within the institution's purview. ...
This study delves into educators' motivations and challenges leaving the Department of Education (DepEd) for overseas opportunities. The researchers used descriptive qualitative in conducting the study. Based on the findings, it emerges that both emotional and practical considerations influence teachers' decisions to migrate. Foremost among the concerns is the desire for financial stability, contrasted by their deep emotional connection to students and the local education system. Other significant challenges include the need for comprehensive health and well-being provisions, operational efficiency, professional development, and an inclusive work environment. The study underscores the pressing need for reforms within DepEd, emphasizing competitive compensation, streamlined operations, continuous professional growth, and robust health provisions. It was recommended that the Department of Education (DepEd) must prioritize educators' financial and holistic well-being through competitive salaries and regular professional development opportunities. Streamlined administrative processes, proper resource allocation, and integration of global educational insights will foster a more efficient and appealing environment for educators.
... Scholars agree that teachers are linchpin in students' learning process; however, there is still a lot of disagreement on how to best strengthen the teaching quality (Johnson, 2012). Again, it is clear from most studies that teachers' effectiveness varies from one teacher to another, forming a basis for ongoing unending debate on factors that are key to teacher quality. ...
In Kenya, many projects have been done in the education sector to improve the quality of education, and among these projects is the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQIP). Since the SEQIP inception in 2017, much has been done in public primary and secondary schools and little has been reported. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influences of the SEQIP on the education sector in Marigat Sub-County in Kenya. A descriptive survey design was used where structured questionnaires alongside interviews were administered to the sampled respondents to collect the data which was analyzed using Excel. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the data. The data were collected from 68 schools; 17 from each zone and 3 teachers from each school, all 4 curriculum support officers (CSOs) from each Zone, an SCDE, and a TSC Sub-County director which formed the sample size. The study found that the SEQIP project has helped in the improvement of quality as said by 73% of the respondents. The project also was found to have improved the rate of retention in classes 7 and 8 and also the transition to secondary school as said by 60% of the respondents. It was further established that 93% of the respondents agreed that the project has enhanced the adoption of new curriculum reforms. The study came to the conclusion that SEQIP made a significant contribution to the creation of curriculum designs and teacher training. The study suggests that the School-Based Teacher Support System (SBTSS) application in teaching should be monitored and reported on. The Sub-County education quality assurance officers should be tasked with checking the proper implementation of the training’s contents in school by the teachers.
... The assessment of professional growth stood concerning its influence on pupil learning and collaborated teaching expertise. Johnson (2012) elucidates collaboration as a supportive effort between teachers. According to responses in Table 3 above, all teachers seem to embrace the idea of teacher collaboration. ...
This paper examines the attributes of teachers that facilitate the effective teaching of mathematics in rural secondary schools to enhance learner achievement in rural South African contexts. Survey questionnaires were used to identify and describe the attributes of teachers that allow the practical teaching of mathematics in rural high schools in Mahikeng. Participants were required to indicate whether they strongly disagree, disagree, agree, or strongly agree with each variable. The survey tool used, the modified aspects adopted on the basis of the theoretical framework. The calculated Pearson moment correlation coefficient over 0.3 was used to measure the relationship between the attributes identified and offered by the correlation matrix. It was shown that teachers generally have a variety of trials in different schools that impact effective mathematics teaching. These factors encompassed, amongst others, unresponsive professional teacher development, lack of support by stakeholders, learner indiscipline, challenges in learner assessments and promotions, learner age cohort, underachieving learners, school location, lack of safety and security, congested work schedules, overcrowding, and overload as well as poor leadership styles. The findings further indicated that a lack of effectiveness in mathematics teaching results in the demoralization of teachers, which concerns the learner outcomes in mathematics, suggestive of a relationship between effective mathematics teaching and learner outcomes in mathematics. Presenting an attribute one way or another has a particular impact on the various attributes. Therefore, neither attribute is achievable without consideration of the others. This confirms the viability of multiple relationships across those attributes. The recommendations are that teachers can continuously re-evaluate themselves with respect to the attributes of this study.
... When teachers work together, they develop interpersonal interdependence (Moolenaar, Sleegers, & Daly, 2012). Shifting from independence to interdependence is recommended to facilitate teacher growth (Johnson, 2012). It is important to engage practicing and aspiring teachers in collaborative experiences that promote positive interdependent relationships that in turn develop positive social networks. ...
Two post-secondary instructors and one K-12 Learning Commons teacher describe how interdisciplinary units of study were designed by undergraduate pre-service teachers and by in-service teachers in a junior high school. The interdisciplinary units focused on two or more disciplines and aimed to engage student learners in understanding a complex issue. Using a collaborative action research approach and through ongoing dialogue, the three educators worked together throughout the year to improve processes for supporting teachers in designing interdisciplinary units of study. Findings suggest teachers experience common challenges when working on interdisciplinary design teams regardless of the extent of their teaching experiences.
... Teacher quality and retention still remains a mirage. Scholars agree that teachers matter for students' learning, but there is much disagreement about how to best strengthen teaching quality (Johnson, 2012). Furthermore, there is wide agreement that some teachers are more effective than others but much debate about what factors matter most for teaching quality, (Bristol, 2014;Carey, 2014). ...
This study was to find out the support offered by the school community in addressing challenges faced by rural basic schools in the Assin South District of Ghana. The sample for the study consisted of ten basic school headteachers, one hundred and forty teachers, and ten Parent Teacher Association chairpersons. The mixed-method design was adopted. Respondents were selected using the purposive and convenience sampling procedures. Again, the study used questionnaire and interview guide as instruments for data collection.The study showed that the community support in education was significantly related to pupils' access and enrolment in basic education. Again, this study revealed that community support in the Assin South district related to school management. Furthermore, it was evident from the study that, there was a significant difference among the scores of schools with very good, good and poor community support in schools development programmes. Therefore, the hypothesis which state that the community support in school have significant effect on basic schools development in the Assin South District was supported. Based on the findings and conclusions the following recommendations were given:The District Education Oversight Committee should endeavour to educate stakeholders on their roles and responsibilities in educational management in the district during school durbars. The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service should make it a policy the need for communities to support schools in their jurisdiction in areas such as building, maintaining and managing the schools.The Parent Teacher Association and the community leaders can build an environment in their areas through active concern and support for improving the quality of education. In doing this there should be good communication between the school and community. Regular parent-teacher meetings explaining the value of education. With this, parents will know the performance of their children on regular basis and if there is any shortfall, take remedial action for improving their children's education.
... Subjective and contested notions of quality have created ongoing debate about what constitutes both quality teachers and quality teaching (e.g., Flores, 2019;Kennedy, 2006;Ramsey, 2000). While Johnson (2012) argues that knowledge, skills and professional judgement should be central in any consideration of quality teaching, others suggest that quality teaching extends beyond this, encompassing broader dimensions such as reflexivity (Giroux, 2004;McGaw et al., 1992;Sachs & Mockler, 2012;Schleicher, 2012), ongoing professional development (Down & Smyth, 2012), and a respect for students' backgrounds, needs and welfare (Day & Gu, 2010;Eisner, 1985). Ball (2006) argues strongly that the focus on quality has largely resulted from 'an imagery of crisis and chaos', which has led to a loss of faith in the efficacy of the schooling system. ...
Early career teachers are increasingly required to be ‘classroom ready’ upon graduation and to demonstrate capabilities that match their more experienced colleagues. They are also joining a profession that is characterised by increased scrutiny and accountability driven by standards that seek to identify the hallmarks of good teaching. This agenda, constructed around a discourse of ‘quality’, has created dilemmas for early career teachers. However, little is known about how early career teachers navigate these pressures as they begin their careers. This article reports on a study that sought high-achieving graduate teachers’ perceptions of teacher quality and how they assessed their own practices within a ‘quality’ framework. The study found that high-achieving early career teachers wrestle with their perceptions of what a ‘good’ teacher might be and do, and how this contrasts with official representations of a ‘quality teacher’, and that they frequently ‘govern’ themselves using the regulations and discourses related to ‘the quality teacher’. We argue that broader conceptualisations of teacher quality are needed to enable early career teachers to develop as agentic professionals.
... Traditional course schedules did not consider teacher collaboration and, if a common time was available for teachers to collaborate, it was usually accidental and not an intentional part of the scheduling process. The high schools in this study intentionally adapted schedules to engage in collective learning and improve effectiveness of collaboration and interdependence (Berlin & White, 2012;Johnson, 2012). Fullan and Hargreaves (2016) highlight that a culture of collaborative professionalism is a factor distinctive of high performing educational systems: ...
Researchers examined seven schools in Alberta undergoing high school redesign, including the removal of the Carnegie Unit, a time-based metric for awarding course credits. A mixed methods convergent parallel design was used to gather data from leadership teams in the schools and to examine evidence of the impact on student learning. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed concurrently and then merged for the analysis. Findings illustrate that the removal of the Carnegie Unit was a catalyst for redesign and learning improvements. Five constitutive factors enable high school redesign, including: (1) a collective disposition as a learning community; (2) a focus on relationship building; (3) student input ; (4) collaboration; (5) and changes to learning tasks and assessment practices. The findings provide insight into the ways in which leadership teams formed complex adaptive systems to enable change and may serve to inform practitioners and school leaders, schools and systems, and those who study policy changes in schools.
... As the middle of Figure 1 shows, these sources of information include their preservice preparation, induction components (i.e., PD and mentoring, teacher evaluation systems, and collaborative activities), and instructional conditions (collaboration, instructional materials, and schedules). New teachers' success at enacting HLPs in practice will be a product of both the opportunities they have to develop these practices through professional learning, mentoring, and informal collaborative experiences, and the extent to which instructional conditions support them to enact those practices in the service of students (see Johnson, 2012). Figure 2 provides an illustration of both how SETs' ability to use and apply core practices and the role of instructional conditions influence their ability to effectively teach students with disabilities. ...
... As the middle of Figure 1 shows, these sources of information include their preservice preparation, induction components (i.e., PD and mentoring, teacher evaluation systems, and collaborative activities), and instructional conditions (collaboration, instructional materials, and schedules). New teachers' success at enacting HLPs in practice will be a product of both the opportunities they have to develop these practices through professional learning, mentoring, and informal collaborative experiences, and the extent to which instructional conditions support them to enact those practices in the service of students (see Johnson, 2012). Figure 2 provides an illustration of both how SETs' ability to use and apply core practices and the role of instructional conditions influence their ability to effectively teach students with disabilities. ...
Improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities and others who struggle in school largely depends on teachers who can deliver effective instruction. Although many effective practices have been identified to address the academic and behavioral needs of students who struggle in school, including those with disabilities, these practices are not used extensively in classrooms. This article provides a rationale for and description of major changes that are occurring in teacher preparation programs that are designed to improve the practice of beginning teachers. This is followed by a description of a set of high-leverage practices that was recently approved by the Council for Exceptional Children. These practices represent an initial attempt to delineate a core curriculum for special education teacher preparation to support the changes that are occurring in teacher education.
... As the middle of Figure 1 shows, these sources of information include their preservice preparation, induction components (i.e., PD and mentoring, teacher evaluation systems, and collaborative activities), and instructional conditions (collaboration, instructional materials, and schedules). New teachers' success at enacting HLPs in practice will be a product of both the opportunities they have to develop these practices through professional learning, mentoring, and informal collaborative experiences, and the extent to which instructional conditions support them to enact those practices in the service of students (see Johnson, 2012). Figure 2 provides an illustration of both how SETs' ability to use and apply core practices and the role of instructional conditions influence their ability to effectively teach students with disabilities. ...
Induction is designed to support teachers’ effectiveness, improve their students’ learning, and foster their retention. We consider how high-leverage practices (HLPs) might provide an instructional framework for special education teacher (SET) induction. With sensemaking theory as a conceptual foundation, we posit that, by structuring induction experiences and instructional conditions around HLPs, schools and districts can send more coherent messages about effective instruction, thereby easing new SETs’ efforts to make sense of their roles. We first provide a brief review of research on new SETs’ experiences. Next, we consider how specific induction components (i.e., professional development and mentoring, teacher evaluation, and collaboration) and instructional conditions (i.e., collaboration, instructional curricula and resources, and schedules) might be structured to support SETs’ learning of and use of these HLPs. We conclude with considerations for researchers and practitioners.
... Subjective and contested notions of quality have created ongoing debate about what constitutes both quality teachers and quality teaching (e.g., Flores, 2019;Kennedy, 2006;Ramsey, 2000). While Johnson (2012) argues that knowledge, skills and professional judgement should be central in any consideration of quality teaching, others suggest that quality teaching extends beyond this, encompassing broader dimensions such as reflexivity (Giroux, 2004;McGaw et al., 1992;Sachs & Mockler, 2012;Schleicher, 2012), ongoing professional development (Down & Smyth, 2012), and a respect for students' backgrounds, needs and welfare (Day & Gu, 2010;Eisner, 1985). Ball (2006) argues strongly that the focus on quality has largely resulted from 'an imagery of crisis and chaos', which has led to a loss of faith in the efficacy of the schooling system. ...
Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers to the profession is of international concern as it has far-reaching economic and social implications for all nations. In Australia, discussion of teacher workforce development has focused predominantly on attracting and recruiting quality teachers, with less attention given to the broader retention process. In this chapter, we discuss how school leaders influence new teachers and foster their professional commitment. Furthermore, we identify the micropolitical activities that school leaders consciously use to promote the engagement and retention of the early career teachers they want to keep. We also present data and analyses which reveal the dilemmas and paradoxes that school leaders encounter when they attempt to reconcile the competing demands of different stakeholders in the staffing process. We juxtapose the mostly benevolent actions of leaders with their often-unintended consequences to establish the need for ongoing critical reflection about the impact of taken-for-granted human resources processes on early career teachers.
... With the increase demand of higher institutions to achieve global competitiveness, conscious efforts to regulate, coordinate and assure quality remain as key determinants in achieving acceptable standards of education, scholarship, and infrastructure (Coates 2005). Whilst there are various factors affecting the quality in these institutions, the talent and expertise of teaching staff remains instrumental in reflecting students' competence in disciplinary content (Johnson 2012). In order to create a conducive learning environment, students' evaluation on instructors' performance are conducted on a yearly basis to allow provision for benchmarking purposes. ...
One instrument regularly seen as a basic resource in assessing pedagogical knowledge and vivid learning in different circumstances is through the method of conducting student assessment appraisal of their instructors. Nevertheless, deciding the nature of instructional abilities requires as rationale and unbiased judgments. The concern is that there are no formal techniques or formulas that would prompt accurate responses from the students. In spite of the contention surrounding students’ rating on instructors, this study aims to investigate how university students in Malaysia would evaluate instructors based on non-instructional factors, such as physical attractiveness and psychological factors, which in turn may affect students’ perceptions towards instructors’ performance. PLS-SEM was appropriated to perform the path modeling analysis. Practical implication is discussed.
... At a school level, it is teachers that have the greatest impact on children's educational experiences and achievements (Hattie, 2009;Johnson, 2012). Indeed, it is difficult not to return to Fullan's (1991) adage that 'educational change depends on what teachers think and do -it's as simple and complex as that' (Fullan, 1991: 117). ...
Healthism is both an ideological and a regulative discourse that manifests as a tendency to conceive health as a product of individual choice. Healthism represents a collection of taken-for-granted assumptions, positioned at the intersection of morality, blame and health, that can lead to a privileging of ‘healthy’ and ‘productive’ individuals. It is argued that healthism is a key issue for physical educators and a significant focus for research. The validation of a scale – the Attitude Towards Healthism Scale (ATHS) – that seeks to quantify pre-service physical education teachers’ attitudes towards healthism is described. Participants were 201 pre-service teachers undertaking a Bachelor of Education degree in Australia. The factor structure of the initial 17-item scale was determined using an exploratory factor analysis followed by Rasch modelling and, lastly, confirmatory factor analysis. Initial exploratory factor analysis supported a unidimensional measure of healthism. Further Rasch modelling suggested that a refined 15-item ATHS scale functioned more effectively as two sub-scales that combined to provide a valid and reliable method of measuring the ideology of healthism. It is suggested that the ATHS will enable teacher educators and PSTs to discuss healthism with reference to attitudinal data, and examine how views change over time.
... Fewer studies detail how teachers negotiate policies as social and political agents once they step out of the classroom (Giroux, 2011). In school and district spaces, some of this research describes individual teachers' "creative insubordination" (Gutiérrez, 2013;Haynes & Licata, 1995) as they consciously bend the system rules of rewards and sanctions to mirror their own professional principles, values, and local needs, while other studies report on teacher unions' activism (Bascia, 1998;Johnson, 2012;Rottmann, 2008). ...
Teacher policy-advocates, while researchers consider them powerful, are among the least studied stakeholders in U.S. public education reform today. Although plenty of attention has been given to the impact of policy on teachers' work, little research explores how teachers interpret or interact with policy. Drawing on the work of Spillane, Reiser, and Reimer and (2002) work on teachers' policy implementation and Coburn's (2001) work on teachers' collective sense-making of policy, this qualitative study examines the different ways in which five teachers interpreted, translated, and enacted a response to ESSA. The findings describe how two contextual factors influence teachers' relationship with education policy: a) structural supports for grassroots involvement via social networks are instrumental in mobilizing teachers, and b) unless a more bottom-up approach that enables teacher agency, sense-making, and advocacy, top-down school policies will continue to hold limited promise. The paper concludes with implications for understanding how teachers are indeed policy advocates.
... Traditional course schedules did not consider teacher collaboration and, if a common time was available for teachers to collaborate, it was usually accidental and not an intentional part of the scheduling process. The high schools in this study intentionally adapted schedules to engage in collective learning and improve effectiveness of collaboration and interdependence (Berlin & White, 2012;Johnson, 2012). Fullan and Hargreaves (2016) highlight that a culture of collaborative professionalism is a factor distinctive of high performing educational systems: ...
Moving Forward with High School Redesign in Alberta provides a strategic framework for a theory of action for change. This strategic framework focuses on school culture, school leadership, school pedagogy and school structures. The foundational principles guiding this theory of action for change are: mastery learning, rigorous and relevant curriculum, personalization, flexible learning environments, educator roles and professional development, meaningful relationships, home and community involvement, assessment, and welcoming, caring, respectful and safe (Alberta Education, Redesigning High School).
In 2008-2009, Alberta Education initiated the High School Flexibility Enhancement Pilot Project. In 2013, this pilot wrapped up and Moving Forward with High School Redesign was initiated. Many high schools across Alberta are now involved in Moving Forward with High School Redesign. While research was an essential component of the initial High School Flexibility Enhancement Pilot Project and many key features of the initiative were highlighted, it remained unclear what features might be transferrable to other high schools across the province. As such, the present study was initiated. Using a mixed methods convergent parallel design, we (research team) examined what conditions existed within seven high schools and across all schools (i.e., culture, leadership, pedagogy and structure), the ways in which principals supported teacher professional learning within each school and across schools, and the ways district leaders supported principals’ learning across the schools in order to determine whether the initiatives undertaken built system adaptive capacity; that is, learning throughout the various layers within the system.
http://abhsredesign.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/High-School-Redesign-Research-2016.pdf
... Believing that these claims are valid produces an egregious misrepresentation that most students who struggle in academic contexts are single-handedly onerous for failing because they are not working hard enough. Similar cankerous thinking has now spread to discourses about educators, specifically teachers, who are responsible for educating these "underperforming" students (Rivers & Sanders, 2002;Stronge, Ward, Tucker, & Hindman, 2007;Johnson, 2012). ...
This dissertation study examined how adolescent students who identify as Black, i.e., African American, Caribbean American, and African, in an urban comprehensive public high school characterized their relationships with literacy. A narrative analysis methodological framework was utilized to trace and document students’ formative primary and secondary exposures to reading and writing. The theoretical lenses of New Literacy Studies and critical literacy were employed to elucidate the in school and out-of-school literacy experiences of these minoritized adolescents and to determine how those experiences influenced their attitudes about literacy. Drawing upon multiple data sources: 1) literacy autobiographies; 2) semi-structured interviews; 3) 8th grade English Language Arts (ELA) Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores; and 4) 9th grade fall and spring semester ELA report card grades, enabled me to capture a rich, nuanced description of the scholars’ literacy identities and development, academic achievement, and relationships with academic literacies.^ Several provocative thematic patterns emerged from this study. Some of the most striking findings detailed how many of the scholars: a) self-identified as authors and had a personal affinity for writing; b) grew up with a strong sense of intergenerational literacies at home; c) developed an astute cognizance about diverse literary genres and text selection in order to avoid boredom; d) enacted multiliteracies and engaged in online (me)search to access supplemental curricular resources, search for spiritual understanding and enlightenment, research background information for personal writing projects, and to engage in the independent study of extracurricular activities like teaching oneself another language, ballet, and Pilates. Another key finding revealed that several students overcame being held back a grade, and did not allow that experience to define their literacy or academic identities.^ The analysis of the students’ complex literacy profiles showcased that overall these Black adolescents had positive and intimate identifications with literacy. More importantly, their narratives served as counter-narratives to the dominant discourses about Black youth as their literacy practices painted a very different portrait of Black adolescent literacies and intellectualism; even though, many of the essential elements of their academic and literacy identities were nearly undetectable by school records and transcripts.
... Findings from research on the impact of teacher evaluations (e.g., Kimball, White, Milanowski, & Borman, 2004;Slotnik, Smith, Glass, Helms, & Ingwerson, 2004) and various merit pay schemes (e.g., Dee & Wykoff, 2013;Yuan et al., 2013) on student achievement have been mixed. Those critiquing merit pay and the use of teacher evaluations for punitive action, argue that these interventions-by using narrow measures of teacher performance, relying largely, if not solely, on student achievement data-fail to consider the complexity of teachers' work and the impact of school context on teacher performance (e.g, Baker et al., 2010;Berry & Eckert, 2012;Johnson, 2012). Bryk et al.'s (2010) framework suggests that rather than focusing on interventions such as merit pay and teacher evaluation which target only one dimension of professional capacity, we ought to consider interventions that have the potential to impact all elements of professional capacity, such as professional development. ...
Proposing an integrative framework that links Bryk and colleagues’ five essential supports for school improvement and Porter and colleagues’ policy attribute theory, I use a mixed-methods approach to study the implementation and effectiveness of school turnaround efforts in the School District of Philadelphia. Using a matched comparison design and estimating a series of regression models to analyze data from Philadelphia’s central school improvement models as well as a group of comparison schools, I explore the relationships among key model components, approaches to implementing these components, and academic achievement. The use of an integrative framework for school improvement facilitates the unpacking of the idea of “success” in school reform, and careful examination of key reform components and implementation strategies provides insights into why particular school improvement models are (or are not) associated with gains in academic achievement. Qualitative methods are used to contextualize these findings and offer hypotheses to explain variation in essential supports, policy attributes, and achievement outcomes. This study facilitates the development of an empirically grounded theory of how implementation relates to effectiveness that proves useful in evaluating school turnaround, and in assessing how policymakers and implementers might leverage various aspects of implementation to create effective school improvement models at scale. Ultimately this study finds that how improvement models are implemented is more important than what key components models use in terms of explaining improvements in student achievement.
... New York City Middle School Teacher Characteristics, 2008-2012 ...
We study the relationship between school organizational contexts, teacher turnover, and student achievement in New York City (NYC) middle schools. Using factor analysis, we construct measures of four distinct dimensions of school climate captured on the annual NYC School Survey. We identify credible estimates by isolating variation in organizational contexts within schools over time. We find that improvements in school leadership especially, as well as in academic expectations, teacher relationships, and school safety are all independently associated with corresponding reductions in teacher turnover. Increases in school safety and academic expectations also correspond with student achievement gains. These results are robust to a range of threats to validity suggesting that our findings are consistent with an underlying causal relationship.
... However, research into teacher change, although providing some evidence of success (Dinham, 2007b;Gore & Ladwig, 2006), also provides stories of failure and sustainable change appears to remain largely elusive (Hargreaves & Fullan, 1998;Hargreaves & Goodson, 2006). While it has become increasingly evident that the quality of teaching makes a difference to student outcomes (Connell, 2009;Hattie, 2003;Johnson, 2012aJohnson, , 2012bMcCaffrey, Koretz, Lockwood, & Hamilton, 2004;OECD, 2005), professional learning for improved classroom teaching skills and improved student outcomes appears to be less than straightforward. As Darling-Hammond et al. (2009) points out, professional learning can make a difference to student learning outcomes, but this well-developed professional learning is not easy to achieve; "teachers lack time and opportunities to view each other's classrooms, learn from mentors, and work collaboratively. ...
This research study interrogates the self-reported perceptions of seven experienced Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) teachers about the professional learning influencing their classroom teaching after being involved in a number of initiatives to improve their teaching in New South Wales (Australia). The results indicated that the teachers’ professional learning experiences, ways of thinking about professional learning and responses to implementation of new approaches to professional learning were dominated by traditional training models even while operating under a new state-wide professional learning model (Quality Teaching) approach. While the teachers acknowledged the value of reflective practice, collaborative networking and teaming, they found that difficulties in implementing these strategies within faculties and across schools lessened their impact. It was apparent that local institutional history, context and politics had an enormous impact on the success of the professional learning programme. The findings of this study are significant because leadership aimed at acknowledging and addressing the teaching context at the school level is a critical factor if we are to develop twenty-first-century teachers.
The study was conducted to examine the role of professional learning communities in enhancing instructional supervision (IS) as a school-based professional development activity. A total of fifty-four (54) teacher participants were involved in the study. The descriptive-survey method and focus group discussion were utilized in data gathering. This study serves as a basis for providing strategies for recommendations in enhancing the implementation of IS in the school setting. Pearson product-moment coefficient of correlation was used to determine the relationship between instructional supervision and professional learning communities. Findings revealed that there is a strong correlation between the teachers' level of agreement in instructional supervision and professional learning communities. Instructional supervision, feedback, and suggestions help the teachers to reinforce and enhance teaching practices that will aid better learning among students. Learning Action Cell (LAC) considers being one of the best practices of the school in professional learning communities. Critical qualities allow teachers to make the necessary changes to improve teaching and learning for their students. In order to augment the pedagogical practices of teachers, instructional supervision and LAC need to be provided to increase a wide repertoire of knowledge, skills, and techniques to fulfill the various tasks.
The purpose of this study is to examine China’s teacher rotation policies, which are intended to narrow the urban-rural teacher quality gap. A qualitative approach is used to explore the emotional drives of eight teachers who participated in teacher rotation in Y District, Beijing. This study applies Archer’s social theory of emotion, which establishes a link between personal concerns and emotional commentaries. Data reveals four emotional drives or concerns: embodying sender schools, reciprocity with rural school leaders, rapport with colleagues, and conscience towards students. Conscience is viewed as the primary drive for rotating teachers to focus their efforts on teaching and learning in order to avoid shame. Relationships with sender schools, rural school leaders, and colleagues all have an effect on rotating teachers’ hybrid self-identity as insiders/outsiders of two social circles, engendering a range of emotions. This study emphasizes the importance of making sense of the emotional structures and dynamics of rotating teachers. Finally, the implications of improving the efficacy of teacher rotation are discussed.
The aim of this study is to elucidate the neriage-based teaching script shared by Japanese teachers as tacit knowledge and to visualize (where visualization means to bring a focal awareness to) the ethos and understanding that supports this, through analysis of three case-based studies of mathematics lessons from different time periods.The first case-based study/analysis is of a lesson – how many acorns did we pick up? – in which each child tackles the learning task and problem solving individually (1966, City T.). The second case-based study/analysis is a lesson – how would you find the grassy area? – in which children’s ideas are compared (1996, City N.). The third cased-based study/analysis is a lesson – how much did it all cost?- that utilizes the diversity of children’s ideas (2014, City K.). The authors examine critically the aspects of neriage that have changed over time in relation to the global world pedagogical trends and those that have not as Japanese pedagogical perspective, and discusses the teaching script (the visible structure) present in the lessons, and the ethos (the invisible mindset, such as the philosophy, attitude, beliefs etc.) behind it.KeywordsAuthentic learningCollaborative learningCritical thinkingDeep thinkingDialogic teachingJapanJapanese teachersMathematics lessonsNeriageNeriage-based teaching script
Teacher turnover is widely understood to be among the most pressing challenges facing the American public education system. Who and where are the mid-career teachers who choose to stay in the profession? Why do they stay? Researchers need to attend to these questions to inform both national dialogue and local actions regarding how to retain and sustain mid-career teachers who positively impact student learning. This quantitative study explored mid-career teachers’ responses to the 2015–2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey to ascertain if certain demographic factors (e.g., race, school location) and school climate and teacher attitudinal factors (e.g., job satisfaction, career pathway and opportunities, support from administrators and/or sources beyond school leaders and colleagues, and influence over school policy) affect a mid-career teacher’s decision to remain in the teaching profession. Findings indicate that mid-career teachers (5 to 20 years of teaching experience) in a secondary setting are significantly more likely to intend to stay in the profession than their peers in an elementary setting, and non-White mid-career teachers (Black/African American, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders, and Native American/Alaskan Native) than their White peers, respectively. Suburban mid-career teachers are more likely to express a desire to remain in the profession than their counterparts in urban, town, and rural settings. Related to the climate and attitudinal factors, mid-career teachers with more positive perceptions of school climate are more likely to remain in the profession. The most important factor in mid-career teacher retention is the teacher’s level of satisfaction with workplace conditions that directly impact teaching.
Expert submission to the inquiry.
https://library.nswtf.org.au/libero/WebOpac.cls?VERSION=2&ACTION=DISPLAY&RSN=20761&DATA=TFB&TOKEN=St3S2izxg67986&Z=1&SET=1
A starting point for realising connections between leadership and professional learning is to focus specifically on teachers and their conceptions of leadership. Typically, leadership is understood as a designated position with a defined role and responsibilities for individuals. An alternative conception is to view leadership as collective rather than individual work to enhance student learning. This article advances leadership for professional learning through explicit recognition and application of actions underpinning four professional values (professional discretion, collegial obligation, reflective inquiry and discourse and evidence-based practice). These values are intrinsic to collaborative learning cultures. The literature supporting them points to important actions for the creation and maintenance of these cultures. The article explores this literature and justifies particular teacher leadership actions that help collaborative learning cultures. These actions are captured in a sample survey instrument designed to stimulate in-school discussions on productive ways to work towards teacher leadership in cooperative settings. Sample data are analysed to indicate how teachers’ individual views produce a school profile, which can be used as a prompt to determine whether the basis for reciprocal professional learning by teachers is evident or requires further development. The survey tool makes explicit the foundations for teacher leadership as collective activity.
Purpose
A new senior curriculum and assessment policy in Queensland, Australia, is changing the conditions for teaching and learning. The purpose of this study was to consider the personal, structural and cultural conditions that mediated the agency of Senior English teachers as they negotiated these changes. Agency is conceptualised as opportunities for choice in action arising from pedagogic negotiations with students within contexts where teachers’ decision-making is circumscribed by other pressures.
Design/methodology/approach
An action inquiry project was conducted with English teachers and students in two secondary schools as they began to adjust their practices in readiness for changes to Queensland senior assessment. Four English teachers (two per school) designed a 10-week unit of work in Senior English with the aim of enhancing students’ critical and creative agency. Five action/reflection cycles occurred over six months with interviews conducted at each stage to trace how teachers were making decisions to prioritise student agency.
Findings
Participating teachers drew on a variety of structural, personal and cultural resources, including previous experiences, time to develop shared understandings and the responsiveness of students that mediated their teacher agency. Teachers’ ability to exert agentic influence beyond their own classroom was affected by the perceived flexibility of established resources and the availability of social support to share student success.
Originality/value
These findings indicate that a range of conditions affected the development of teacher agency when they sought to design assessment to prioritise student agency. The variety of enabling conditions that need to be considered when supporting teacher and student agency is an important contribution to theories of agency in schools, and studies of teacher policy enactment in systems moving away from localised control to more remote and centralised quality assurance processes.
This study aims to reveal the teaching script and structure of lesson practice of two seventh-grade Japanese mathematics teachers—a “novice” and “expert”—through comparative analysis of mathematics lessons. Specifically, it aims to clarify how the teachers’ views of teaching as tacit knowledge determine lesson structure and share the same culture in different forms in practice. This comparative analysis shows how the lessons can be described as sharing the same teaching culture in different forms from the following two perspectives: (1) methods of mathematical communication between teacher and students, and (2) approaches to dealing with mathematical concepts.
In the digital stories that teachers author, I explore the social class positioning of teachers in low-income schools in the U.S. and the tensions between professional agency and shame in emerging teacher identities. I consider traces of teachers' own classed backgrounds, the hierarchies of power and class within which their work is surveilled, and the social interactions of daily life within which subordinate class status become embodied. This project attests to the potential of multimedia authoring as a way of knowing about the contradictions of teaching in schools structured against teachers' and students' success.
Downloadable online: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NZDT68rtnp2WYrYurW2C/full
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offer opportunities for governments to address key education challenges of quality, equity, and efficiency. While governments and education institutions in developed countries may have taken up these opportunities, many developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region have often missed them out. This may be due to countries’ socioeconomic settings, approaches towards design and implementation of the ICT in education plan, and investment on research and development of ICT in education. This paper explores the current challenges of education in Asia and the Pacific and explains how these challenges may be overcome by the strategic use of ICTs when a holistic approach towards ICT in education is adopted.
The present study examines the experience of two high-poverty schools that participated in a district professional development (PD) initiative designed to support teachers in meeting the goals of the Common Core State Standards. A small group of teachers from each school attended PD, learned collaborative planning and inquiry practices, and were expected to lead this work at their school. Key findings suggest that job-embedded support from experts and direction from the principal, rather than the leadership of teachers, were essential for translating learning from PD into changes in instruction and collaboration. Implications for developing capacity in high-poverty schools are discussed.
The multiple-case study compared staff retention strategies in Zimbabwe's public and private universities from the point of view of criterion sampled four public and three private universities' Returnee Lecturers, respectively. In terms of similarities, the study found out that public and private universities had monetary and non-monetary staff retention strategies. It also observed that both public and private universities were found to have some conditions of service which served as part of retention strategies in those universities. With respect to differences, the study observed that public universities tended to offer better conditions of service in terms of salaries and bonuses, even though both conditions of service lag behind what international universities offer. The study concluded that staff retention strategies in public and private universities tended to differ on paper and implementation approach, but in practice they tended to yield similar results. Also, public universities tended to offer more allowances than private universities because of the support they receive from the government. Private and public universities need to have knowledge of what other local, regional and international competitors offer in terms of staff retention strategies through salary surveys and benchmark to effectively retain their staff.
The multiple-case study compared staff retention strategies in Zimbabwe's public and private universities from the point of view of criterion sampled four public and three private universities' Returnee Lecturers, respectively. In terms of similarities, the study found out that public and private universities had monetary and non-monetary staff retention strategies. It also observed that both public and private universities were found to have some conditions of service which served as part of retention strategies in those universities. With respect to differences, the study observed that public universities tended to offer better conditions of service in terms of salaries and bonuses, even though both conditions of service lag behind what international universities offer. The study concluded that staff retention strategies in public and private universities tended to differ on paper and implementation approach, but in practice they tended to yield similar results. Also, public universities tended to offer more allowances than private universities because of the support they receive from the government. Private and public universities need to have knowledge of what other local, regional and international competitors offer in terms of staff retention strategies through salary surveys and benchmark to effectively retain their staff.
Background/Context
Educational policy makers have begun to recognize the challenges posed by teacher turnover. Schools and students pay a price when new teachers leave the profession after only 2 or 3 years, just when they have acquired valuable teaching experience. Persistent turnover also disrupts efforts to build a strong organizational culture and to sustain coordinated instructional programs throughout the school. Retaining effective teachers is a particular challenge for schools that serve high proportions of low-income and minority students. Although some interpret these turnover patterns as evidence of teachers’ discontent with their students, recent large-scale quantitative studies provide evidence that teachers choose to leave schools with poor work environments and that these conditions are most common in schools that minority and low-income students typically attend. Thus, mounting evidence suggests that the seeming relationship between student demographics and teacher turnover is driven not by teachers’ responses to their students, but by the conditions in which they must teach and their students are obliged to learn.
Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study
We build on this body of work by further examining how working conditions predict both teachers’ job satisfaction and their career plans. We use a broad conception of the context of teachers’ work, paying attention not only to narrowly defined working conditions but also to the interpersonal and organizational contexts in which teachers work. We also extend Ladd's analysis describing the relationship between the work context and student achievement. Advancing our understanding of this relationship is particularly important, given the increasing emphasis legislators place on evidence of student achievement when evaluating education policy. Specifically, we ask three research questions: (1) Do the conditions of work in Massachusetts public schools affect teachers’ satisfaction with their jobs and their career plans? (2) Are schools with better conditions of work more successful in raising student performance than schools with less supportive working conditions? (3) If the conditions of work are important, what elements of the work environment matter the most?
Research Design
In this article, we combine a statewide survey of school working conditions (MassTeLLS) with demographic and student achievement data from Massachusetts. We examine three primary outcomes: teacher satisfaction, teacher career intentions, and student achievement growth. From different items on the MassTeLLS, we construct a set of nine key elements that reflect the broad-based conditions in which teachers work. We fit standard regression models that describe the relationship between each outcome and both overall conditions of work and each element separately, modeling this relationship according to the properties of our outcome variables.
Findings/Results
We found that measures of the school environment explain away much of the apparent relationship between teacher satisfaction and student demographic characteristics. The conditions in which teachers work matter a great deal to them and, ultimately, to their students. Teachers are more satisfied and plan to stay longer in schools that have a positive work context, independent of the school's student demographic characteristics. Furthermore, although a wide range of working conditions matter to teachers, the specific elements of the work environment that matter the most to teachers are not narrowly conceived working conditions such as clean and well-maintained facilities or access to modern instructional technology. Instead, it is the social conditions—the school's culture, the principal's leadership, and relationships among colleagues—that predominate in predicting teachers’ job satisfaction and career plans. More important, providing a supportive context in which teachers can work appears to contribute to improved student achievement. We found that favorable conditions of work predict higher rates of student academic growth, even when we compare schools serving demographically similar groups of students.
Conclusions/Recommendations
In short, we found that the conditions of teachers’ work matter a great deal. These results align with a growing body of work examining the organizational characteristics of the schools in which teachers work. Together, these studies suggest strongly that the high turnover rates of teachers in schools with substantial populations of low-income and minority students are driven largely by teachers fleeing the dysfunctional and unsupportive work environments in the schools to which low-income and minority students are most likely to be assigned. If public education is to provide effective teachers for all students, then the schools those students attend must become places that support effective teaching and learning across all classrooms.
This report reveals that about 100 Chicago schools suffer from chronically high rates of teacher turnover, losing a quarter or more of their teaching staff every year, and many of these schools serve predominantly low-income African American children. In the typical Chicago elementary school, 51 percent of the teachers working in 2002 had left four years later, while the typical high school had seen 54 percent leave by 2006. The authors examined the factors associated with high mobility rates, including teachers' background characteristics, school structure, students' characteristics, and workplace conditions. Workforce conditions such as principal leadership, teacher collaboration, student safety all influence stability. In elementary schools, teachers' perceptions of parents as partners in students' education are strongly tied to stability; in high schools, teachers tend to leave schools with the highest rates of student misbehavior. The data includes personnel records from about 35,000 teachers in 538 elementary schools and 118 high schools. This study reflects the Consortium's commitment to study education issues that are top priorities in Chicago and districts nationwide. While some teacher mobility is normal and expected, high turnover rates can produce a range of organizational problems at schools, such as discontinuity in professional development, shortages in key subjects, and loss of teacher leadership. Previous research also indicates that schools with high turnover are more likely to have inexperienced, ineffective teachers. Four appendices are included: (1) Statistical Models; (2) Description of Measures; (3) Characteristics of CPS Teachers; and (4) Numbers of Cases in Figures. (Contains 54 endnotes, 23 figures and 13 tables.)
Purpose: Teacher hiring decisions have far-reaching consequences for a school, its students, and faculty. This article examines how new teachers in four states are hired and explores whether the process leads to good matches between these individuals and their schools. The authors conceive of hiring as a two-way process and examine the extent to which the hiring process provides opportunities for prospective teachers and schools to collect rich information about, and form accurate impressions of, one another.
Research Methods: This study surveyed a representative random sample of 486 first-year and second-year teachers in California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Participants were chosen using two-stage stratified cluster sampling, and the study achieved a response rate of 65%. Statistical methods used in the analysis include principal components analysis, chi-square analysis, and t tests.
Findings: The data reveal that the majority of new teachers in these states are hired through a decentralized, school-based process. Despite the opportunity this provides schools and prospective teachers to explore the potential match between them, most new teachers actually have limited interactions with school-based personnel during the hiring process, and the process is relatively information-poor. Many new teachers are also hired quite late—more than one third of new teachers in California and Florida are hired after the school year has already started.
Implications: The results of our analysis suggest that shifting hiring decisions to the school level is not sufficient to guarantee information-rich hiring. They also suggest that schools may need help removing barriers to conducting more information-rich hiring.
Are teachers’ impacts on students’ test scores (“value-added”) a good measure of their quality? This question has sparked debate largely because of disagreement about (1) whether value-added (VA) provides unbiased estimates of teachers’ impacts on student achievement and (2) whether high-VA teachers improve students’ long-term outcomes. We address these two issues by analyzing school district data from grades 3-8 for 2.5 million children linked to tax records on parent characteristics and adult outcomes. We find no evidence of bias in VA estimates using previously unobserved parent characteristics and a quasi-experimental research design based on changes in teaching staff. Students assigned to high-VA teachers are more likely to attend college, attend higher- ranked colleges, earn higher salaries, live in higher SES neighborhoods, and save more for retirement. They are also less likely to have children as teenagers. Teachers have large impacts in all grades from 4 to 8. On average, a one standard deviation improvement in teacher VA in a single grade raises earnings by about 1% at age 28. Replacing a teacher whose VA is in the bottom 5% with an average teacher would increase the present value of students’ lifetime income by more than $250,000 for the average class- room in our sample. We conclude that good teachers create substantial economic value and that test score impacts are helpful in identifying such teachers.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Considerable controversy surrounds the impact of schools and teachers on the achievement of students. This paper disentangles the separate factors influencing achievement with special attention given to the role of teacher differences and other aspects of schools. Unique matched panel data from the Harvard/UTD Texas Schools Project permit distinguishing between total effects and the impact of specific, measured components of teachers and schools. While schools are seen to have powerful effects on achievement differences, these effects appear to derive most importantly from variations in teacher quality. A lower bound suggests that variations in teacher quality account for at least 7« percent of the total variation in student achievement, and there are reasons to believe that the true percentage is considerably larger. The subsequent analysis estimates educational production functions based on models of achievement growth with individual fixed effects. It identifies a few systematic factors a negative impact of initial years of teaching and a positive effect of smaller class sizes for low income children in earlier grades but these effects are very small relative to the effects of overall teacher quality differences.
The real value of teachers: Using new information about teacher effectiveness to close the achievement gap
- K Carey
Changes at RI school fail to produce results. National Public Radio
- C Sanchez