Teacher Individualism in the Era of Accountability

• In Event: Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Teachers and Accountability

Abstract

This paper explores teachers’ discretion in what to teach and how in the context of the province of Ontario’s standards and accountabilty system. The study uses survey, interview and observation data to compare teaching practices and school improvement activities in 22 high and low performing elementary schools serving high and low income communities. Teachers' autonomy has been powerfully constrained by provincial policy mandates and capacity building inputs, including those which have increased support for teacher-teacher collaboration in the accomplishment of external directions for improvement in student learning. The result is a high degree of standardization in school improvement focuses and processes at school and classroom levels, regardless of variability in prior school performance and community characteristics.

Authors

• Stephen E. Anderson, University of Toronto

• Joelle Rodway Macri, University of Toronto - OISE