College-Ready Writers Program's Evolving Theory of Action: The Consistent Role of Teacher Leadership

• In Event: 18.071 - Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: 18.071-4 - Building and Leveraging Teacher-Leaders' Expertise to Improve Students' Writing: National Writing Project's College-Ready Writers Program

Abstract

Purpose
To frame the symposium, this paper describes how CRWP’s theory of action evolved in response to a series of critical incidents that surfaced in national program leaders’ communications with local Writing Project sites and through formative evaluation briefings. Teacher-leaders revised our theory of action, recursively defining and enacting CRWP. Like all NWP initiatives, CRWP employs an adaptive scaling approach (Rowan & Miller, 2007) so that professional development adapts to exigencies of each participating district’s context. Thus, local Writing Project teacher-leaders facilitating CRWP professional development cannot rely on centrally developed scripts, but develop the expertise and professional judgment to adapt CRWP with fidelity and integrity.

Theoretical Framework
This paper draws on the communities of practice literature (Wenger, 1998) to conceptualize how NWP and participating local Writing Project sites cultivated and enacted teacher leadership within CRWP. NWP, a national network comprised of 185 sites, has a 42-year history of supporting the development of teacher-leaders. Previous research (Lieberman & Wood, 2003) identifies the social practices NWP uses to support teachers in becoming full members of the Writing Project community. Teacher leadership played a central role at all levels of CRWP. Nationally, NWP teacher-leaders created materials and facilitated learning opportunities for local Writing Project teacher-leaders; locally, NWP teacher-leaders facilitated professional development in participating districts, worked one-on-one with teachers, and bridged national resources and local needs.



Inquiry Mode/Data
This research takes an inquiry stance (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009) that draws lessons from data and experience. This paper analyzes program artifacts to understand how design and theory of action changes arose from critical incidents.

Findings
Three critical incidents precipitated key shifts in CRWP’s theory of action. First, as CRWP launched, program visits to local sites revealed limited local knowledge about teaching argument writing. In response, NWP facilitated a national webinar series (rooted in one national leaders’ college composition teaching practice) through which local Writing Project teacher-leaders enlarged their content expertise and invented practices for teaching secondary students.

Second, after one semester, the formative evaluation revealed a limited focus on argument in professional development and negligible classroom uptake of CRWP approaches. Therefore, national teacher-leaders designed instructional and formative assessment tools that supported teacher-leaders and teachers implementing new instructional approaches.

Third, at a national partnership meeting at year 1’s conclusion, local Writing Project and district leaders analyzed student writing using CRWP’s formative assessment tools. This process revealed gaps between aspirations for students’ writing and students’ actual writing. This analysis prompted local teacher-leaders to try out CRWP’s new instructional materials in their classes and use them to support district teachers in shifting their practice.

Collectively, these critical incidents and responses shaped a revised theory of action for future scaling that includes reifications of practice and explicit attention to building and learning from local teacher leadership capacity (See Figure 1).

Significance
This paper demonstrates the complexity and promise of engaging teacher-leaders in scaling up reforms (Coburn, 2003). Reformers, researchers, and teacher leaders can collaborate on clarifying, revising and expanding theories of action.

Author

• Linda D. Friedrich, National Writing Project