Data Inquiry Facilitators' Attitudes Toward Protocol-Driven Meetings: The Relationship to Gender, Professional History, and Work Style

• In Event: 41.055 - Data-Driven Decision Making and the Classroom Context

Abstract

While discussion protocols can provide helpful structures for conversations about data and other collaborative work, some drawbacks have been noted; for example, protocols can preclude discussion about important topics that are not within the scope of the protocol. Prior research has not yet explored how educators’ personal identities and professional histories intersect with their attitudes towards and willingness to engage in protocols. This study of a district-level team of data inquiry facilitators finds that participants’ attitudes towards protocols intersected with their gender, whether they were founding members of the team, the imprint of prior employers, especially Teach for America, and their work-style. Findings have implications for how to better train facilitators of data meetings and other professional learning experiences.

Author

• Meghan Lockwood, Harvard Graduate School of Education