ERIC ED574744: Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change. Executive Summary

2017·0.17 MB·English

by  ERIC

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE ANNENBERG INSTITUTE
The authors would like to thank the teachers and admin- AISR is a national policy-research and reform support
istrators who gave graciously and generously of their organization housed at Brown University that develops,
time and knowledge. Without these special individuals, shares, and acts on knowledge which improves the
this study would not have been possible. A special thank conditions and outcomes of schooling in America,
you to Jose Navarro of Social Justice Humanitas, Chris- especially in urban communities and in schools
tian Quintero of Los Angeles School of Global Studies, attended by traditionally underserved children. AISR
and Paul Hirsch of STEM at Bernstein High School for believes that education in the United States must serve
providing us with the opportunity to learn from their the ends of democracy by building vibrant communities
leadership. We would also like to thank the Los Angeles of knowledgeable and engaged citizens who contribute
Unified School District (LAUSD) for granting us permis- to the prosperity and civic life of our nation. AISR acts
sion to conduct this study as well as providing school as partner, facilitator, and collaborator with like-minded
level and district level data to further our findings. Our school districts, community groups, researchers,
deepest gratitude goes to our community partners – the national and local school reform organizations, and
Center for Powerful Public Schools, the Los Angeles funders to address the political, social, and cultural
Education Partnership, and the Youth Policy Institute – aspects of systems change, as well as the technical
for identifying promising educational practices at school aspects. Our staff members are veteran researchers,
sites across Los Angeles. organizers, and educators and are experienced
providers of research, guidance, and technical assis-
The authors thank our colleagues Tracie Potochnik,
tance to school districts and communities.
Angela Romans, and Rosann Tung for their review and
feedback on drafts of the report this executive summary For four years, AISR partnered with the Ford Foundation
is based on. A special thank you to Michelle Renée on the Time for Equity project. Time for Equity builds
Valladares for being a valuable thought partner through- the capacity of schools, districts, communities, and
out every phase of the project and to the Ford Founda- partner organizations to improve educational opportu-
tion for its generous support of this work. nities in the nation’s most underserved school systems
through expanded and reimagined learning time. Our
work included the development of twenty-four indica-
tors that school communities can use as “yardsticks” to
Authors: Marisa Saunders, Vianna Alcantara, measure and refine their efforts to create expanded and
Laura Cervantes, Jaime Del Razo, Ruth López, and improved learning opportunities for young people, a
Wendy Perez scan of the Los Angeles Education Ecosystem, and a
report that explores a neighborhood-level ecosystem in
Editing: Margaret Balch-Gonzalez and Sheryl Kaskowitz
East Los Angeles. These resources can be found at
Graphic Design: Haewon Kim http://timeforequity.org/ and http://
annenberginstitute.org/publications/time-equity-
Web Design: David Brown and Amy Rittenhouse
resource-series.
© 2017 Brown University, Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Suggested citation: Saunders, M., V. Alcantara, L. Cervantes, J. Del Razo, R. López, and W. Perez. 2017. Getting to
Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change; Executive Summary.Providence, RI: Brown Univer-
sity, Annenberg Institute for School Reform.
The full report, this executive summary, and supplementary materials are available at http://www.
annenberginstitute.org/publications/GettingToTeacherOwnership.
b
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Rather, it is nested within a school culture that
recognizes and values teachers’ deep understanding
that schools are social and cultural institutions and
Executive
that values teachers’ expertise and knowledge.
Teachers’ perceptions of opportunities to build
Summary
knowledge and to share in decision-making and
leadership are associated with a range of positive
outcomes, including greater teacher satisfaction and
an increased sense of accountability. Teachers feel
The major reform efforts of the last decades have invested in their profession, their schools, and their
failed to consistently improve student achievement students’ learning. And students benefit when
in our country’s highest-needs schools or to close teachers have ongoing opportunities to learn from
persistent, widespread achievement and opportunity one another, practice what they have learned, shape
gaps. In the search for remedies, many policymak- and reshape the work through leadership opportu-
ers, foundations, districts, and educators have nities, and support the ideas behind the school’s
focused on teachers. But there is little agreement on improvement strategies.
how best to maximize the influence of teachers on
achieving positive change. Many efforts that focus Overview
on individual teacher competence and accountabil-
ity can overlook important systemic factors. For
Teacher ownership is often mentioned by
instance, in this current climate of education
researchers as a key factor in the success, or failure,
reform, one idea, program, or innovation can be
of an improvement effort. Efforts succeed when
quickly replaced with another. When improvement
teachers feel it belongs to them and is not simply
initiatives give teachers little control or opportunity
imposed on them (Ogborn 2002). While ownership
to provide input and are perceived as ephemeral,
is viewed as a “mental or psychological state” that
teachers’ ability to carry out the initiative effectively
captures teachers’ position with regard to the effort
may be weakened.
(Ketelaar et al. 2012), research to date primarily
This executive summary presents highlights from a focuses on the progressive processes by which
study exploring the concept of teacher ownershipand ownership is achieved, which enable teachers to
how it can bring about the deep and meaningful gain a sense of clarity, skill, and commitment with
changes that our schools need and that all students respect to the change (Fullan 2001). These
deserve.1Based on teacher surveys and interviews in processes recognize that those responsible for
twenty-one schools in Los Angeles that are imple- change cannot be viewed as simply the imple-
menting major reforms, our study suggests that menters. To achieve school- and system-level
teacher ownership – a teacher’s sense of alignment change, allteachers must share an understanding
with an improvement effort and agency to influence and commitment to that change. Establishing
it – exists where teachers are able to co-construct
knowledge and to influence and lead school
improvement efforts. Further, teacher ownership
1The full report, Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools are Creating
develops when supports and practices are in place
Meaningful Change, along with this executive summary and other related
that allow teachers to break down barriers and work materials, is available at http://www.annenberginstitute.org/publications/
GettingToTeacherOwnership.
collectively to build system coherence. Teacher
ownership is not built in isolated classrooms.
1
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
understanding and a shared commitment is facili- Our findings are based on a mixed-methods study
tated when teachers have a voice in creating, shap- that included the administration of teacher and
ing, and directing change. administrator surveys across twenty-one schools
implementing these three approaches, as well as
This study builds on previous research by aiming to
interviews and observations at three case study
measure the degree of ownership that teachers have
sites.3We aimed to gain an understanding of
gained in a network of schools within the Los
teacher ownership of these efforts, how ownership
Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) that is
can be developed and maintained, and its outcomes.
working to transform and ameliorate educational
inequalities by broadening students’ learning
Findings
opportunities. Through the implementation of one
or more of three approaches – community schools,
Linked Learning, and Promise Neighborhoods –
Defining Teacher Ownership
these schools are striving to ensure that allstudents
graduate ready for college, career, and civic life.2 I want to be somewhere where there is a vision and
While each approach, and each school implement- everybody shares it and there is this momentum
ing these approaches, may differ in its implementa- and people moving in the same direction.
tion strategy, all rely on ongoing opportunities for
– Community school and Promise Neighborhood teacher
teachers to share knowledge through collaborative
Based on previous research and our findings, we
teaching practices and processes, to reflect on what
conceptualized teacher ownership as: 1) teachers’
they learn, to shape the work, and to evaluate its
sense of personal alignment with the school’s overall
impact. This coherent, reflective approach to school
purpose and priorities; and 2) teachers’ sense of
change is in stark contrast to top-down approaches
agency to influence improvement efforts and create
that attempt to incentivize teachers to improve
alignment between teachers’ beliefs, goals, and
teaching and learning through sanctions and meas-
priorities and those of the school. We define
ures of effectiveness based primarily on students’
teacher ownership as a process, mediated by the
performance on standardized tests.
school culture, and distinct from simple familiarity
with a particular approach.
2All three approaches were part of the Ford Foundation’s More and Better For participating LAUSD schools implementing
Learning Time initiative, which focused on building the capacity of schools, community schools, Linked Learning, or Promise
districts, communities, and partner organizations to improve educational
opportunities in the nation’s most underserved school systems. See Neighborhoods approaches, high levels of teacher
http://annenberginstitute.org/publications/time-equity-resource-series. ownership were identified.4Using survey data, we
3Please see the full report for full description of methods and case study sites. found that there was a high level of alignment
Schools included the Los Angeles School of Global Studies at Miguel Contr-
between teachers’ own priorities for student learn-
eras Learning Complex, STEM of Hollywood at Bernstein High School, and
Social Justice Humanitas at Cesar Chavez Learning Academies. Teacher and ing and their perspective of the priorities held by
administrator identities were withheld to maintain anonymity.
the majority of teachers at their schools. Regardless
4For detailed survey results, see the full report and the methods &
of the approach, teachers indicated that their top
instruments section at http://annenberginstitute.org/publications/
GettingToTeacherOwnership. priorities for students learning were to “create a
safe learning environment” and “ensure all students
receive needed academic supports.” According to
survey results, teachers perceived that these priori-
ties were shared by “nearly all teachers” at their
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Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change
school. Similarly, there was a high level of agree- develop plans for school improvement efforts.
ment regarding lowest priorities. Teachers indicated When asked a series of questions regarding areas of
that ensuring “all students perform well on influence, two-thirds of teachers “agreed” or
Common Core-aligned assessments” was their “strongly agreed” that teachers at their site had a
lowest priority of the options provided. voice in influencing the overall direction of the
school (as seen in Table 1). Teachers felt most
As expected, we found some important differences
strongly that they could influence the development
among teachers’ priorities based on the approach
of teaching strategies and the design of curricula and
implemented at their school site. Most profound
instructional programs. Teachers did not feel as
was the extent to which teachers within schools
strongly that they had a voice in matters such as how
implementing Linked Learning, community
funds are spent, the establishment of school-wide
schools, and Promise Neighborhoods perceived
structures (including master schedules or class size),
priorities were shared among teachers at their site.
and the hiring of administrators and teachers.
There was a larger gap between teachers’ own
priorities and the perceived priorities of the rest of Teachers across survey sites also indicated that the
the staff at Linked Learning sites compared to administration was interested in their opinions. As
participating schools implementing a community shown in Table 1, 80 percent of teachers “agreed”
school or Promised Neighborhoods approach. or “strongly agreed” that the administration was
committed to collaborating with teachers to ensure
Teachers indicated that their sense of ownership
the school runs effectively, recognizing teachers as
was also determined by feelings that they could
experts, having confidence in their expertise, and
express their voice and help shape and spread the
taking a personal interest in their professional
purpose of the school and improvement efforts.
growth and development. Administrative responses
Indeed, over three-quarters of teachers surveyed
to the surveys support teachers’ responses, with
indicated that they felt they had a voice at their
close to 93 percent of administrators responding in
school, experienced high levels of autonomy, could
agreement or strong agreement with the character-
make a difference when it came to school improve-
istics above.
ment efforts, and had the opportunity to help
table 1. Teacher Influence and Teacher Perception of Administrative and Teacher Collaboration (n = 176)
Strongly Neither agree Strongly
disagree Disagree nor disagree Agree agree
Teacher influence 7% 11% 17% 37% 29%
Teacher perception of administrative
4% 7% 9% 46% 34%
and teacher collaboration
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Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Importantly, familiarity with the name of an meet the school’s goals and priorities. Across partic-
approach did not signal ownership. Across sites, we ipating sites, the following collective practices and
found a distinction between teachers’ recognition of processes supported the development and mainte-
an approach and their knowledge and ownership of nance of teacher ownership:
the approach. Survey and interview data revealed • Opportunities to co-construct student-centered
that while some of the approaches were better knowledgethat extended far beyond particular
known by name than others, staff members shared subject area to include the school context, how to
how usage of particular terms were not as critical as collaborate and work with other adults, how to
the concept itself. Indeed, even at schools where provide meaningful feedback, and how to shape
teachers expressed a lack of familiarity with the and lead school improvement efforts.
name of the approach being implemented, teachers • Opportunities for teachers to lead school improve-
identified alignment between the direction the ment effortsand develop positive interactions
school was heading and their own beliefs. Further, with one another, providing a venue for continued
teachers at these sites felt that their voice could help growth.
steer the school in that direction.
• A positive school climatethat allows teachers to
effectively work together to establish cohesion
Practices that Support Teacher Ownership
and a shared commitment and to continuously
Schools varied in the extent to which they came to shape the mission, vision, and purpose of the
identify or be identified with a Linked Learning, school. Practices such as participatory design,
Promise Neighborhoods, or community school ongoing reflection, professional learning opportu-
approach. Across schools, however, teachers shared nities, and the integration of new teachers
the view that these approaches were not “top down” contributes to a positive school climate.
or external reform efforts, but were seen more as
The co-construction of knowledge was strength-
powerful ideas that required tapping into teachers’
ened and supported by a network that included
knowledge and expertise in order to shape school-
individuals within and beyond the school setting
wide attitudes, beliefs, norms, and relationships.
who broadened teachers’ understanding of the
Our study identified a range of practices that approach and assisted them in developing a skill set
contributed to ownership and its maintenance, to implement, shape, and lead the approach. Quan-
including that which is learned through the practice titative and qualitative data revealed that teachers
of teaching, leading, sharing, and spreading knowl- regularly sought out assistance from their peers –
edge. The development and maintenance of teacher particularly teachers who taught the same subject
ownership was also supported by a school climate and grade level. When asked why they went to
that provided the space and time for teachers to those particular individuals for advice, teachers
share and spread knowledge and created an envi- indicated that knowledge and/or expertise were the
ronment that allowed teachers to effectively work most important reasons they reached out. Although
together to create cohesion and a commitment to 72 percent of teachers indicated that their school
had partnerships with external providers, intermedi-
aries, or community-based organizations that
provided assistance in meeting the school’s priori-
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Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change
ties, many teachers said that opportunities to extend stakeholders (including students, community
their support network beyond the school site were members, and teachers) to search for, identify, and
insufficient. hire individuals who demonstrated that they shared
the values and beliefs about the learning and collab-
Like opportunities to learn and gain knowledge,
oration processes upheld by the school. Approxi-
teachers at participating sites viewed leadership as a
mately 60 percent of teachers surveyed indicated
broad and collective construct. Approximately
that they had an influence in the hiring of teachers
three-fourths of all teachers surveyed indicated that
at their school site. Intentional efforts to support
they assumed a role or responsibility outside of
and retain new teachers, such as teaching schedules
their primary role in the classroom. In addition, 89
that allowed new teachers to regularly observe and
percent of teachers “agreed” or “strongly agreed”
learn from veteran teachers, also fostered co-
that they felt encouraged and supported to take on
constructed knowledge and opportunities to lead
leadership roles. These findings correspond with
and mentor. Across sites, professional learning
interview data, as one Linked Learning teacher
opportunities were often teacher-led and seen as a
shared, “I feel like I have clout. I may be fooling
venue to problem-solve collectively, learn and prac-
myself, but I feel like my opinion matters here. And
tice a range of skills, and to share in leadership.
it’s a small staff. Anybody who advocates for some-
Finally, teachers across sites discussed the impor-
thing can make a difference.”
tance of ongoing collective reflection. Structures
School administrators played a key role in creating such as annual retreats, an annual review of the
an environment that supported shared teacher lead- school’s purpose, review of work agreements, and
ership. At all three case study schools, participating common planning time provided critical opportuni-
administrators identified as “teacher leaders.” They ties for reflection that allowed individuals to assess
viewed their role as supporting teachers rather than their own educational philosophy and values with
managing them and prioritized the interactions those of the collective and contribute to their sense
between staff members to build shared leadership. of ownership.
Opportunities to co-construct knowledge and to
lead intersected through a range of practices and
structures that contributed to creating a school
environment that fostered collective practices.
Across schools, for example, teachers indicated that
participating in the schools’ design allowed them to
“mold and define” the school’s purpose. More than
one-fifth of all teachers surveyed indicated that they
had participated in their school’s design and helped
to establish the school’s original purpose. Intervie-
wees also described structures that prioritized famil-
iarizing new teachers to the school, its purpose, and
assisting in their integration. These structures
included hiring committees that enabled various
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Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Teacher ownership and the practices that support it turn, build individual and collective capacity and
reinforce each other to sustain a cycle of continual thus efficacy. Teacher ownership then influences the
improvement, as represented in Figure 1. The development and sustenance of supportive practices
development of teacher ownership relies on a set of and supportive climate for adults in the school, thus
practices, conditions, and infrastructures that, in reinforcing the cycle.
figure 1. Supporting and Maintaining Teacher Ownership
TEACHER
OWNERSHIP
Teachers have a sense of:
- Personal alignment with school purpose and priorities
- Agency to influence improvement efforts
Shared e Co-constructed
vs
Leadership ie Knowledge
rtc
oti
Teachers have opportunities to pc Teachers collaborate far beyond
take on leadership roles involving pa their subject area with other adults
r
interactions with other teachers uP in the school to co-construct
S student-centered knowledge
Supportive Climate for
Adults in the School
EXAMPLES:
- Professional learning opportunities
- Ongoing reflection
- Participatory design
- Integration of new teachers
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Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change
Why does Teacher Ownership Matter? percent versus 70 percent) for survey schools
when compared with LAUSD high schools.
Teacher ownership is not only the process of teach- Finally, teaching satisfaction was higher at survey
ers’ collective efforts to build knowledge, to partici- sites when compared with the district average (80
pate in the development and progression of the percent versus 66 percent).
school’s vision and purpose, to create and imple-
• Teachers’ satisfaction was related to their sense of
ment strategies that can effect change, and to lead
ownership. We found a significant correlation
improvement efforts but it is also the product of
between teacher satisfaction and collaboration
these efforts. Through quantitative and qualitative
among teachers and administration. Teachers’
data analysis, we found that the process of teacher
perceptions of their opportunity to share in deci-
ownership contributes to a range of critical student-,
sion-making and leadership through collaboration
school-, and system-level outcomes.
were positively associated with greater teacher
Teachers within participating Linked Learning, Promise satisfaction. We also identified a significant corre-
Neighborhoods, and community schools exhibit high lation between teacher satisfaction and teachers’
levels of satisfaction within their school settings. perceptions of their own influence in developing
school improvement plans and sharing their voice.
• When responding to a series of questions regard-
ing satisfaction, approximately three-fourths of all Teacher influence in decision-making is strongly related
teachers surveyed indicated that they “agreed” or to teachers’ professional and personal growth.
“strongly agreed” that their school setting
• We identified a significant correlation between
provided a positive place to work – a place where
opportunities for teachers’ shared influence in
they looked forward to each working day, a place
decision-making and their perceptions regarding
where they would want their children to attend, a
their growth and development through profes-
place that was supportive and inviting, a place
sional learning opportunities. Teachers’ percep-
where they felt valued, and a place where they
tions of their ability to influence decision-making
could make a difference.
at their school site were positively associated with
• Teachers who indicated that they have the oppor- a greater sense of professional growth through the
tunity to help develop school improvement plans opportunities provided.
reported that they could depend on their
• We identified a significant correlation between
colleagues, even in difficult situations, at a slightly
teachers’ opportunities to assert their voice and
higher rate than participating teachers overall (84
co-construct knowledge through their own influ-
percent compared with 77 percent).
ence and their growth and development through
• Teachers within participating high schools were professional learning opportunities. Higher levels
more positive about their school’s climate, staff of teachers’ perceptions of their own influence
relationships, and indicated higher teacher satis- were associated with a greater sense of profes-
faction than their counterparts at non-participat- sional growth through opportunities provided.
ing LAUSD high schools. Using the LAUSD
School Experience Survey, administered annually,
staff ratings for positive school climate were
higher (87 percent versus 71 percent) than the
average for all LAUSD high schools. The ratings
for positive staff relationships were also higher (85
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Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
• Interviews with school staff supported these find- Students will benefit when teachers have ongoing oppor-
ings. Staff shared that opportunities to learn from tunities to learn from one another, reflect on what they
colleagues, to share their ideas (and influence learn, practice what they have learned, shape the work,
others), and to assume leadership positions and evaluate its impact.
contributed to their professional and personal • Across study sites, teachers shared that in order to
growth. As a teacher from a community school improve their practice, they recognized and
shared, “I wanted to take on more leadership this appreciated students’ wealth of knowledge and
year. That’s something that’s a challenge for me. experiences. Teachers viewed students as experts
It’s definitely outside of my comfort zone . . . but in their own learning and looked to them to
it’s a step that I know I need to take in my directly influence their instructional practices.
personal growth as well as my professional Teachers discussed a range of practices – includ-
growth. I was fortunate enough to have the ing surveys, written and oral feedback, and
opportunity to do that here and have support and student representation on leadership councils –
encouragement.” that assisted them and their students in a process
of co-constructing knowledge.
Increased Ownership facilitates shared accountability
• Four-fifths of all teachers surveyed indicated that
• Teachers and administrators expressed that high
increasing students’ ability to shape their own
levels of communication and collaboration corre-
education and learning environment and learning
sponded with the notion that individuals will act
experiences was a top priority.
collectively to address concerns and to meet
• Based on limited school- and district-level data we
established goals and expectations.
found that the graduation rate at participating
• Teachers and administrators pointed out that
survey and case study sites was higher than the
Promise Neighborhoods, community schools, and
district’s overall graduation rate in the 2014-2015
Linked Learning approaches required teachers to
school year. Similarly, participating high schools
abandon all vestiges of the teacher-alone-in-the-
reported a substantially lower dropout rate
classroom model. Teachers had to work with each
compared to the district overall. Participating
other and with partners across the community to
high schools also reported a slightly higher
ensure students’ needs were met. One teacher
college preparatory on-track and completion rate
from a Promise Neighborhood site explained that
than those reported district-wide in the 2014-
these collective practices have “engendered a
2015 school year.
mutual accountability, where teachers, because
they rely on one another, have to hold each other
accountable towards the same standard of work,
and that’s been invaluable in moving any sort of
new initiative forward.”
• Survey data revealed that 78 percent of teachers
indicated that most teachers at their school site
feel responsible for ensuring that all students
learn.
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Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change