A Case Study of Rural Teachers’ Perspectives on School Choice

• In Event: Expanding School Choice Narratives: Parents, Teachers, and Rural, Suburban, and Urban School Choice

Abstract

This case study focuses on two perspectives often overlooked in extant school choice literature. First, this research focuses on the experiences of teachers towards school choice rather than on parents as choosers (Holmes Erickson, 2017; Lincove, et al., 2018; Sattin-Bajaj & Roda, 2020). Second, this research focuses on how teachers in rural areas are experiencing the shift towards greater school choice, rather than in urban/suburban areas (Condliffe, et al., 2015; Jabbar, 2018).
The research questions are as follows: a) How do teachers in rural areas define and assess school choice as an educational reform? b) How do teachers perceive that the school type (e.g., private, charter, traditional public) affects their work environment (e.g., turnover intention, job satisfaction, job demands)? This research was conducted in one rural county in Texas where several school choice options are available: numerous traditional public schools, two early college high schools, one charter school, and five private schools.

Although the larger case study used two primary data sources—a Qualtrics survey and semi-structured qualitative interviews—this proposal focuses on the qualitative data. All interview participants (n=26) (selected from survey respondents) had experience teaching in a traditional public school and at least one other school type (see Table 1). Most participants were white and female, which approximates national teaching force statistics, but remains a limitation of the study.[i] Participants were asked to compare and contrast their experiences and work environment in different school types.

Three themes are emerging regarding teachers’ perceptions of the ways in which their work lives are impacted by expanding school choice. First, charter school teachers reported greater job satisfaction than traditional public school teachers. Participants attributed this to significantly smaller class sizes, fewer discipline problems, and lesser job demands. One former traditional public school teacher who was now at a charter school said, “It was hard to go home happy [in a traditional public school], because . . . everyone says you’re failing.” Second, most participants said they had more pedagogical autonomy and independence in private and charter schools than in traditional public schools. For example, one charter school teacher lamented, “In (traditional) public school, you are not a voice. You have no say.” Lastly, participants agreed that the job demands were exponentially more in traditional public schools than in charter or private schools. Despite these findings, participants attributed these work environment differences to class size, school size, and principal leadership style rather than school type. The completed manuscript will explore these issues in depth.

Researchers and policymakers need greater exposure to the realities of education in rural areas and need to pay heed to teachers’ perspectives as critical stakeholders in all educational reform discussions and plans.

Author

• Heather K. Olson Beal, Stephen F. Austin State University