Teacher Agency: Key Elements for Educators

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Lives of K–12 Teachers: Mentors, Instructional Roles, Self-Efficacy, Adaptability, and Agency

Abstract

We present a longitudinal study uniquely designed to investigate a teacher’s journey on the path to teacher agency.  During a five-year period, the two co-authors of this study, a university professor and mentor and an elementary teacher, met every fall and spring semester to reflect on challenges faced by this teacher in the age of accountability.  Through reflective discussions, researchers identified distinctive elements necessary for the existence of teacher agency without administrative backlash.  This study illustrates the possibilities in the collaborative work where the teacher’s voice is central to the study of a teacher’s life.  It allowed the researchers to learn from the teacher’s perspective, a path towards agency in the age of high-stakes testing.

Authors

• Lileana Rios, Bryan Independent School District

• Alcione N. Ostorga, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley