Measuring Teacher Ownership, Knowledge, and Leadership

• In Event: 54.050 - Working Toward Teacher Ownership and Meaningful School Improvement

Abstract

Like many other components of a school’s culture, the concept of teacher ownership can feel ambiguous and perhaps immeasurable. How do we determine to what extent teachers feel ownership of an improvement effort? How do we determine to what extent teachers share an understanding of the school’s improvement strategy, and the extent to which teachers’ individual practices influence the school and their colleagues? This paper focuses on the development of a survey instrument aimed to measure teacher perspectives about how they gain knowledge, to what extent they feel they can influence practice and shape improvement strategies, and to what extent they feel their own values, beliefs and norms about education and students’ learning are reflected in and aligned with those established by the school—teacher ownership.

The survey was built on the knowledge of 11 previously validated surveys that met our research needs. Additional questions were designed to fill research gaps. The instrument contained questions that explored, in a variety of formats, the intrapersonal views of teachers and how they interpreted ownership, mediated through opportunities to build knowledge, and leadership within and beyond their school site. A series of questions were developed that aimed to measure the extent to which a teachers’ own personal values, beliefs and educational philosophy aligned with those of the larger school community.

The survey utilized a series of 5-point Likert scale questions; questions that asked teachers to explore the frequency in which they had opportunities to learn from colleagues as well as to share knowledge; and questions that explored from whom teachers sought to increase their knowledge. We developed 7 scales that measured teachers’ perceived influence; opportunity for leadership and collaboration; opportunity for professional growth; opportunity to develop and shape school improvement plans; the extent to which improvement efforts reflect needs of teachers, students, and community; teacher relationships; and teacher satisfaction. A Chronbach’s Alpha was calculated for each scale, and each indicated excellent internal reliability. As part of a mixed-method study the scales were able to illuminate that teacher ownership occurs when teachers express a high level of alignment between their own priorities for what matters in education and those shared by other staff members and the entire school.

This paper identifies ownership as a critical component of a school’s culture. We explore opportunities for modification and further use. The survey can assist in the exploration of conditions and practices that support and foster teacher ownership of education reform initiatives, as well as the conditions for collaboration that lead to teachers expanded knowledge and understanding of improvement efforts. In the current climate of education reform, where school reform efforts have largely failed to influence student achievement or to impact the ever-widening achievement gap, teacher ownership is critical.

Authors

• Jaime Liborio Del Razo, Vassar College

• Laura A Cervantes, Brown University