"No One Should Do This Work Alone": Sustaining Teachers as Civic Agents in Urban Schools

• In Event: 61.040 - Being and Becoming Citizen Teachers: Examining the Ecology and Complexity of Democratic Teacher Development

Abstract

The logic of neoliberalism pervades educational discourse. Research and scholarship on the effects of this on the professional lives of teachers document a progression toward increased standardization, high-stakes testing, and rigid enforcement of curricular and instructional mandates. Luke (2011) describes how the policies and practices of standardization have travelled across national borders contributing to “a culture of accountability, performance, and measurability” (p. 370) and resulting in reforms that have significantly restricted teacher autonomy, undermined teachers’ professional identities (Ball, 2003; Day, 2002; Hall & McGinty, 2015) in some cases requiring teachers to conform to these changes or leave the profession (Achinstein & Ogawa, 2006; Santoro & Morehouse, 2011). Resisting this is an alternative discourse that frames teachers as “civic agents” (Mira & Morrell, 2012) engaged in “democratic professionalism” (Sachs, 2013). For this perspective, teachers are not conduits of neoliberal policies that frame their work in managerial terms but engaged professionals and in some cases, activists working to resist policies and practices that they deem harmful to their students and that violate democratic principles.
This paper presents findings of a year long ethnography at an urban high school known for its success in attracting and retaining teachers committed to social justice teaching. It examines the notion of teachers as “civic agents” (Mirra & Morrell, 2011) at an organizational level by documenting the context in which teachers do this work. Findings from the study indicate that the role of “civic agent” is fundamentally collective work that happens in the context of organizational conditions that support teacher autonomy, communities of practice, and reflective practice.
The paper begins with a description of Landmark High School. While Landmark serves a student population commonly associated with high teacher turnover, the school has a stable teacher workforce of highly-qualified and experienced teachers with a strong collective commitment to social justice teaching. The study sought to examine what attracted these teachers to the school (i.e., their reasons for coming to Landmark) and the influence of school level working conditions on their development and retention. Analysis revealed a strong association of school culture (discussed in the paper as “community of practice”) including a shared ethos for equity and social justice teaching. The paper unpacks how teachers understand their role and, importantly, how the school supports their work through increased autonomy, opportunities for collaboration, and dedicated supports for reflective teaching practice.
Findings from this study disrupt “lone ranger” notions of urban teacher success (Bulman, 2002; Lowe, 2001; Cann, 2015) by exploring the social conditions of teachers work and the importance of school level supports for shifting roles and understandings of what it means to teach in urban schools. It concludes with implications for teacher education by considering the role of preservice programs in the development of citizen teachers.

Author

• Alisun Thompson, Lewis & Clark College