The teacher-leader model standards highlight that, “An effective teacher is the strongest in-school predictor of student achievement. Teachers teach more effectively when they work in professional cultures where their opinions and input are valued. In such environments, administrators support teachers as they exchange ideas and strategies, problem-solve collaboratively, and consult with expert colleagues.” Yet when asked in a Gallup survey if they believed their opinions counted, teachers scored at the bottom compared to twelve other occupational groups, and only 30 percent of teachers report being “actively engaged” in their jobs.
As often as I can I find time to sit with educators and listen to what they love and appreciate about their jobs and what drives them to do this important work. I also hear a lot about what frustrates them and makes their jobs challenging. Knowing the research shows that engaging in ongoing, job-embedded professional learning cycles is key to shifting practice, I often ask, when do you have time to learn? Recently a teacher shared with me that they didn’t have time to learn because their collaboration time was for PLCs, which she made very clear were not for learning, they were for documenting where they were in the pacing guide and reviewing data. #realitycheck
This teacher is not alone. I know many educators who have been expected to spend precious collaboration time going through cycles analyzing data from benchmark tests, focused on making sure that all students have content memorized, or know how to pick the author’s message from 4 multiple choice options, sharing strategies and resources to reteach (which there is rarely time for) in hopes of improving test scores. These are often compliance based professional learning cycles, where the agenda is externally set and analyzing data and filling out forms can quickly become the focus, not learning. If these cycles of learning are focused on the wrong goals, we can simply go through the motions, collecting data, and revising lessons.
These type of systems can lead to teachers feeling undervalued and mistrusted as professionals. And when those closest to the learners have intimate knowledge of the learners yet limited power, we miss out on powerful opportunities for learning in our schools and the impact of our most valuable resource in education: the teacher.
To shift this compliance based model, here are 3 strategies to shift the culture from compliance-based systems to those that elevate and empower teachers.
Shared Vision and Goals
In my book, Learner-Centered Innovation, I shared this example of how one district created a shared vision and goals that allow for school and teacher ownership. In an effort to leverage the evolving tools to change how students learn in her district, Dr. Candace Singh, superintendent in Fallbrook Union Elementary School District (FUESD), convened site-based leadership teams over the course of the school year to collectively explore diverse models, learn about new tools and resources, and create a shared vision and aligned expectations among teachers and administrators in the district. Based on the shared expectations, each principal worked with their site-based team to create their own plan that reflected the strengths and needs of their school community to meet the desired goals. This approach of freedom within frameworks with clear goals and expectations can provide a structure while still allowing for those closest to the learners to make decisions that foster improvement through reciprocal accountability rather than top-down management.
Consistently, the teachers echoed that, “The importance of the shared outcomes is that they inform all of us what our goals are when creating learning experiences with our students. The four shared outcomes keep us focused on the end goals of our assignment or project not only when we’re planning, but for our students as well when they are learning.” When teachers and administrators have a clear understanding of what they want students to know and do and share collective responsibility for student outcomes, it improves investment in the process as well as allows for flexibility in the path to achieve the desired outcomes.
Structured Time and Processes for Learning
Part of being learner-centered is ensuring that teachers are seen as learners too and have time, support, and trust to do what is best to create these powerful learning experiences in their classrooms and throughout the school. As a great number of demands are placed on teachers, teacher retention and burnout is increasing, and the revolving door, in many cases, negatively impacts the schools and their students.
In contrast, a robust, job-embedded culture of professional learning and innovation ensures that educators continually develop and refine practices to meet the needs of the learners they serve. When teachers develop deep expertise and are empowered to influence decisions that impact the school and their classroom, they create environments where students’ voices are honored and the learners are empowered.
Creating the space for people to put problems of practice on the table for the group to collectively solve builds capacity and trust in a team. When teams take turns sharing a problem of practice, they can leverage the expertise of the group to collectively solve challenges and although they are usually specific to one person they usually have implications for the rest of the team to learn from.
Measure What Matters
Accountability systems that are grounded in control and compliance where teachers and administrators look at data to determine what students learned and what they didn’t in order to re-teach specific content and skills or maintain fidelity in a curriculum, might be sufficient if the end goal is passing a test. But if our goal is to develop productive thinkers and learners, as I argue it should be, we have to move beyond data to sort kids and penalize the educators. Instead, we need to create structures to gather and evaluate evidence to ensure growth related to desired outcomes. Insights and the learning experiences are so much more powerful and meaningful when they come from the teachers and the learners based on the expectations, goals, and evidence is collected and used to move forward to do what is best for kids. When teachers and administrators work together to analyze student work samples, assess strengths, and determine next steps, these learning experiences help everyone to continuously improve.
A Culture of Learning Means We All Have to Be Learners First
One of my favorite quotes from Dylan Wiliam is, “If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they aren’t good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.” But the more I think about it, if we really want to create learner-centered schools and systems, this has to apply to all of us in education (administrators, teachers, students, families) and I would revise this quote slightly to focus on all of us as learners:
If we create a culture where everyone is a learner and we all work to continuously improve, not because we aren’t good enough but because we can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve together.