"You Just Figure It Out as You Go": Teachers' Sources of Policy Information

• In Event: 77.058 - MTCC Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: 77.058-5 - Teachers, Education Policy, and the Profession

Abstract

Teachers are a key factor in the implementation of education policy. Research about teachers’ reactions to education policy suggests policy messages, local context, and teachers’ individual characteristics may shape those reactions. However, clear patterns have not been established. For teachers in one elementary school in the mid-Atlantic United States, information about English learner education policy requirements most often came from people in the district office, other teachers, or experiences rather than paperwork or professional development. Contrary to other researchers’ conclusions, the results from this study suggest local policy makers and education leaders should consider teachers’ sources of policy information when teachers appear to misunderstand or resist policy expectations.

Author

• Heather Keenan, Colorado Christian University