A Competing Theory of Change: Critical Teacher Development

• In Event: 70.048 - Toward Racial Justice and Democratization of the Teaching Force

Abstract

Current teacher effectiveness reform positions teachers as individual objects who can be refined using high-stakes evaluation systems to improve student achievement (Rand Education, 2013). This position supposes that if teacher evaluation systems closely monitor and eliminate teachers who contribute to stagnant learning gains, low student achievement will disappear. This paper challenges that supposition, and instead situates teachers as subjects for change. Critical Teacher Development Theory positions teacher development as a socio-constructivist process in which teachers work as change agents in knowledge-centered communities of practice that assess, implement, and refine rigorous and culturally responsive pedagogy to increase achievement for all students. Using archival data analyzed through portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot, 2005) and Critical Race Theory, this paper shows how Critical Teacher Development Theory is evidenced in the lives of teachers of color associated with the Academy for Teacher Excellence at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Three key themes that emerged from the data structure the portrait: visionary leadership, the work of vision building, and the development of agents of change in communities of practice. We conclude that the cultivation of culturally responsive communities of practice within and across schools can be a viable model of resistance for teachers of color, who, by iteratively and responsibly assessing and refining their instructional practice, can work collectively to ensure academic achievement for all.

Authors

• Conra D. Gist, University of Arkansas

• Belinda Bustos Flores, The University of Texas - San Antonio

• Dr. Lorena Claeys, The University of Texas - San Antonio