Navigating Educational Reform: Teacher Perspectives in Shaping Policy under Peru's Teacher Reform Law (Ley de Reforma Magisterial)

• In Event: The Teaching Profession in Latin America: Education, Reform, and Policy Actors in Chile, Colombia, and Peru

Proposal

In 2012, the Peruvian government enacted the Teacher Reform Law (Ley de Reforma Magisterial), establishing a public teaching career where performance evaluations play a critical role in determining access to salary scales and career progression (Cuenca, 2020). This law reflects a broader trend of introducing neoliberal teacher policies in Latin America and globally, which often require teachers to organize themselves as a response to indicators and evaluations (Ball, 2003). Teacher unions in Peru have taken radical actions, demanding the repeal of the law, with particular opposition to performance evaluations. Furthermore, a national teacher survey conducted in 2021 revealed that a significant majority of Peruvian teachers (85.89%) believe reforms to the law are necessary, with more than half of the respondents advocating for changes to performance evaluations (53.73%) and the improvement of teacher salaries (52.61%).

More than a decade after the passage of the Teacher Reform Law, it is essential to examine how teachers are experiencing the policies it introduced. This paper aims to investigate (1) teachers' perceptions of the policies and policymaking processes affecting their profession, (2) their involvement and participation in policymaking within and beyond the school environment, and (3) potential strategies to enhance teacher agency in policymaking spaces. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study analyzes quantitative data from the National Teacher Survey of Peru (ENDO) to explore the correlation between the demographic and professional characteristics of teachers and their perceptions of the law. Additionally, qualitative data from in-depth interviews with Peruvian teachers is analyzed to explore their views on the law and their role as policy actors. By empirically examining teachers' experiences in the context of the Teacher Reform Law, this study aims to contribute to future research on how teachers are experiencing large-scale policy reforms in Latin America. Ultimately, it seeks to highlight the value of teachers' perspectives and their agency as policy actors in driving educational change.

Author

• Jose La Rosa Villacorta La Rosa Villacorta, Teachers College, Columbia University