Often Effective, Always Vital: Experiences of Teacher Teams in High-Poverty, Urban Schools

• In Event: Supports, Challenges, and Opportunities: Examining Teachers’ and Administrators’ Experiences in High-Poverty Urban Schools

Abstract

Purposes

Recently, schools have overwhelmingly turned to teacher teams as an instructional improvement strategy (Troen & Boles, forthcoming). Yet, we know little about how those teams work, particularly in high-poverty, urban schools. This paper examines teachers’ experiences of teams in these schools and the often-valuable role that they believe teams play in their work.

Framework

We draw on Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder’s (2002) conceptualization of communities of practice to frame this study. We analyzed teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of teams as a strategy for enhancing instructional effectiveness, and we considered the conditions that shape team dynamics. Additionally, using Wenger et al.’s concept of leaders or champions, we considered the role of administrative leadership in various teams.

Data and Methods

Data for this paper came from a larger, qualitative study of teachers and administrators at six high-poverty schools in one large, urban district in the northeastern US. In building the sample, we sought schools that served high-poverty students, yet were not chronically failing. Participants came from two elementary, one K-8, one middle, and two high schools. We conducted interviews with 10-25 teachers and administrators at each school, for a total of 95 interviews. We reflected on emergent themes using thematic summaries and coded transcribed data. This allowed us to look across the sample and to construct matrices, which revealed patterns within and across schools.

Results

Across schools in the sample, teachers had regular team meetings with colleagues who taught the same subject, grade, or group of students. Teachers reported that this work provided valuable learning and support. Yet, there was variation in teachers’ experiences, based on what administrators and colleagues contributed to the process.

At most schools, teachers saw value in working with teams of colleagues. These teachers reported that administrators and instructional coaches helped protect team time, provide guidance about how to use it, or facilitate team meetings. These collaborations often focused on analyzing student achievement data, reviewing the curriculum, and planning lessons.

Some teachers reported frustration with their team experiences. Although they saw the potential in formal team meetings, they felt thwarted in their work either by a lack of administrative oversight and guidance (leaving the team to flounder) or overly prescriptive administrative mandates for teams. In some cases, teachers objected to disruptive, disengaged, or controlling behavior by particular colleagues.

Across the sample, teachers often reported that individuals on their team became their most trusted colleagues. They turned to these colleagues for informal collaboration – work that some deemed more valuable than the formalized teamwork.

Significance

This study’s findings point to the important role that teams can play in efforts to improve high-poverty schools. Yet, they also point to the problem of administrators seeking to control the team’s work or disregarding it altogether. Collaboration is vital, yet sometimes challenging, for teachers in schools that serve high-poverty students. Administrators, teachers, policymakers, and researchers can gain insight into practices that were effective among teams in these settings in order to consider ways to build organizational capacity in high-needs schools.

Author

• Megin Charner-Laird, Salem State University