Enacted Micropolitics in Secondary Teacher Course Assignment

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring New Theoretical Lenses for Understanding Schools as Organizations (Table 15)

Abstract

Secondary teacher assignment is the school-level process through which teachers are matched with the courses they will instruct. Teacher assignment within schools yields considerable student equity implications due to the potential for lower-quality teachers to be disproportionately assigned to vulnerable student populations; however, this process is understudied. This study utilizes a micropolitical lens to uncover how political capital shapes teacher assignment. Through interviews with seventeen secondary school leaders, findings suggest that assignment practices are centered around teacher preference and seniority, potentially at the expense of student outcomes. Our findings corroborate and expand a micropolitical understanding of teacher assignment. In this paper, we explore the practices adopted to satisfy teachers and their implications for student success and equity.

Authors

• Michael C. Fienberg, University of Southern California

• Shelby Leigh Smith, University of Southern California

• Isabel Clay, University of Southern California

• Margaret Dawson-Amoah, University of Southern California