Program B: Learning in Practice School Design Research

• In Event: 46.067 - Team/Design Professional Development School: Critical Common Commitments for Teacher Development

Abstract

Program B’s research plan is rooted in the understanding that relationships matter with respect to educational practice and educational achievement (Noddings, 1983; Bingham and Sidorkin, 2004) and is dependent on a commitment to design research as a fruitful tack with respect to educational innovation (for example, Cobb et al., 2013), linking practice to concerns of equity while expanding both teacher understanding and student achievement (Gutierrez & Vossoughi , 2010; Wong & Glass, 2009).
The research question driving the study is, How do we/can we enhance the educational experience and achievement of underserved students while also enriching the preparation of those entering the teaching profession and constructing career paths with greater responsibility and compensation for classroom teachers? The focus is on understanding and evaluating the structural supports that promote relational capacity initially, quality instruction in the second phase, and finally, student achievement captured in both standardized tests and authentic assessment. In keeping with a design approach, each iteration of the model is carefully documented (in both implementation and result) and redesign (and restructuring) occurs on a regular basis.
The first phase of the research focuses on documenting relations between and among teachers, teacher candidates, students, administrators, and university partners. The analysis is informed by observational data documenting structures of interaction and communication, faculty and student interviews, focus group responses, planning meeting observation notes, TELL data capturing teacher perspectives on school/professional culture, discipline data reporting referrals, suspensions and expulsions, and TRIPOD data representing patterns of teacher expectations and student activity. Video and planning data documenting instructional quality and student achievement data are collected but not presently the focus of analysis. EdTPA data, teacher candidate performance evaluations and dispositional assessments are being analyzed in this relational phase and will figure in later analyses of instructional quality and academic press.
Initial findings suggest:
1) The team-oriented school structure provides significant affordances for all constituents:
a. Students recognize that their school is “different.” Specifically, they talk about it as safer, and as more focused on instruction and achievement.
b. Teachers report that the school is a good place to work and a safe space to work, a dramatic change from previous reports.
c. Teachers recruit accomplished colleague teachers to join the faculty.
d. Teachers and students both point to greater attention for individual students and their needs.
e. Discipline referrals are down sharply and suspensions are down by a factor of 50%.
f. Teacher candidates perform well on the edTPA and all candidates were employed in preferred settings.
2) Redesign is needed with respect to the following structures:
a. Greater continuity of mentoring is required in the early phases of the residency for the benefit of both middle level students and teacher residents. It is important to resist using residents for independent work with students until they are ready.
b. Mentoring of team leaders, especially with respect to supporting team communication and interaction, must be intentional and consistently implemented.
c. Smaller teams (4-5 members) are more effective than larger teams (8-10 members).

Authors

• Barbara S. Stengel, Vanderbilt University

• Blaine Elizabeth Smith, University of Miami