National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Assessor Training: Impact of Bias Reduction ExercisesSzpara, Michelle Y.; Wylie, E. Caroline
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700410pmid: N/A
Abstract This study is an in-depth investigation of the NBPTS bias reduction training from the perspective of assessors. The research examined how successful the bias training was in guiding assessors to recognize their biases and to identify actions to be used to reduce the impact of bias. The study focused on portfolio video entries to allow for a greater exploration of bias, since assessors are provided with a visual and aural depiction of the candidates and their students. Valuable confirmation of the efficacy of the bias awareness exercises was obtained. Results also indicated that further work could be done to guide assessors in specifically examining societal biases and to emphasize the importance of assessors taking conscious action to minimize their biases during scoring.
What Do Associate Teachers Do Anyway? A Comparison of Theoretical Conceptualizations in the Literature and Observed Practices in the FieldSanders, Marion; Dowson, Martin; Sinclair, Catherine
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700406pmid: N/A
Abstract The degree of convergence (or divergence) between what associate teachers are said to do in the practicum literature and what they actually do during practicum formed the focus of the present research. This focus is important, in part, because divergence between the literature and actual practice may inhibit the ability of the literature to contribute to the enhancement of supervisory practices. The present research uses case study methodology to investigate associate (supervising) teachers’ perceptions of their multiple roles during practicum. Four associate teachers and their preservice teaching students were observed for a total of 87 hr and interviewed for 4 hr. Results of the study indicated that the roles pursued by associate teachers (e.g., Planner, Evaluator, Modeler, Counselor), while not completely divergent from roles described in the literature, are nevertheless sufficiently divergent from these descriptions to indicate that modifications to the literature may be warranted. This applies to both the degree to which associate teachers pursued particular roles and the structure of these roles themselves. The research also found that coordinating multiple roles was a challenging experience for associate teachers and implied the need for more substantial support for associate teachers if they are to successfully coordinate these multiple roles.
One Classroom at a Time? Teacher Isolation and Community Viewed through the Prism of the ParticularPomson, Alex D. M.
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700409pmid: N/A
Abstract In recent years a research literature has developed which increasingly problematizes the project to construct professional community in schools. This case-based literature explores the messy complexities of teacher cooperation and collaboration. It points to the human, cultural, and political dimensions in schools that prevent changes in the organizational conditions of teachers’ work from achieving their anticipated outcomes. This article deepens this vein of research by examining the experiences of those who work in a school system where, because of its governance and curriculum organization, teachers must work in a professional environment which provides few opportunities for isolation or privacy. Drawing on a series of narrative inquiries into the work and lives of Jewish day school teachers, the article helps clarify different impulses behind the search for teacher community: those that derive from professional concerns, such as the goal to improve student achievement, and those that derive from personal concerns, such as the desire to belong or to experience fellowship in the workplace. In its final section, the article brings into view sources of teachers’ ambivalence about collaboration often overlooked in the school reform literature.
The Pain Outweighs the Gain: Why Teachers Don't Want to Become PrincipalsHowley, Aimee; Andrianaivo, Solange; Perry, Jessica
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700408pmid: N/A
Abstract U.S. schools are facing a crisis of leadership because many school districts are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit new principals. Whereas teachers represent the group from which the largest number of new principals is likely to be drawn, fewer and fewer of them now seem willing to seek administrative positions. Understanding their perspectives provides an important basis for addressing critical shortages. Using survey data from a large Ohio sample, the present study examined the views of teachers with regard to what are commonly perceived as incentives and disincentives associated with the principalship. It also explored the characteristics of teachers that make them more and less receptive to the idea of seeking leadership positions. Results showed that, in general, teachers view the disincentives associated with the principalship as more potent than the incentives. Variables that were significantly associated with the view that the principalship was “worth it” (i.e., that the incentives outweighed the disincentives) included gender (i.e., maleness), administrative licensure, and the tendency to value the practice whereby school leaders groom teachers for leadership positions.
Student Segregation and Achievement Tracking in Year-Round SchoolsMitchell, Ross E.; Mitchell, Douglas E.
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700401pmid: N/A
Abstract Twenty-five percent of California's elementary schoolchildren attend schools operating on nontraditional, staggered, overlapping attendance calendars collectively referred to as multitrack year-round education (MT-YRE). This case study reveals substantial differences in the characteristics of students and teachers across the four attendance tracks of eight MT-YRE schools in one large California school district. Analyses of Stanford Achievement Test data, controlling for student and teacher characteristics, reveal strong association of achievement with student demographic, programmatic, and teacher segregation within these MT-YRE schools. These findings suggest that MT-YRE readily (re)segregates students within schools and thereby inhibits access to equal educational opportunity relative to traditional and nontraditional single-track school calendars.
Professional Development of Secondary EFL Teachers: Lessons from ChinaHu, Guangwei
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700405pmid: N/A
Abstract Since China initiated its modernization program in the late 1970s, professional development of secondary teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) has been given much prominence because of the perceived important role that English can play in the modernization drive. This article provides a critical overview of secondary EFL teacher education in China with the intent of offering useful lessons to foreign language teacher education in other parts of the world. The critique is made within a framework that draws on theoretical and empirical research on teacher education in four areas: (a) the knowledge base for teaching, (b) pedagogical effectiveness in fostering knowledge acquisition and intellectual qualities that support continuing professional development, (c) professional development in the community of practice, and (d) the coherence of professional development work. Through the analytical lenses provided by the framework, the article scrutinizes two curriculums for secondary EFL teacher preparation programs and the instructional practices prevalent in these programs. It also examines secondary EFL teachers’ continuing professional development in the workplace and through formally organized in-service programs. Based on the critical examination, suggestions are made for addressing identified problems and improving the effectiveness and relevance of the EFL teacher education system.
Teacher Empowerment: Concepts, Strategies, and Implications for Schools in Hong KongWan, Eric
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700411pmid: N/A
Abstract The education profession in Hong Kong has been experiencing waves of educational reforms since the early 1990s. A system of school-based management has been imported from Western countries without undergoing thorough discussion about the roles that teachers might play in facilitating it. The purpose of this article is to suggest a strategic mix for school leaders toward effective implementation of teacher empowerment. This mix is divided into three levels: the teacher, administrator, and school levels. At each level the foundations of empowerment have been identified and actions for empowerment discussed. The suggested strategies attempt to balance the human and operational factors in the reform initiative. This article also presents certain contextual considerations when implementing the Western-born concept in the local society where Confucian traditions prevail.
Infusing English Language Learner Issues Throughout Professional Educator Curricula: The Training All Teachers ProjectMeskill, Carla
doi: 10.1177/016146810510700407pmid: N/A
Abstract The federally funded Training All Teachers (TAT) project is an innovative program of curricular enhancement for preservice and inservice educators across disciplines. The project focuses on English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools and the fact that the training of school personnel in issues related to these learners’ needs has not kept pace with the growing numbers of these learners. The goal of the TAT project is to increase opportunities for all pre-/inservice teachers, pupil services personnel, administrators, and other education personnel to learn about issues specific to ELLs. To these ends, School of Education faculty across departments and disciplines participated in a variety of activities designed to support integration of ELL issues into their teacher/professional graduate courses. The goals and structure of these faculty development activities and their outcomes are discussed, as well as the implications of such training.