Cynthia L. Carver

Using Policy to Improve Teacher Induction: Critical Elements and Missing Pieces

To understand the relationship between induction policies, programs, and practices, we conducted case studies of three long-standing induction programs. Drawing on interviews, observations, and policy documents, we asked the following: (a) What policy tools operate in these contexts, and how do they effect local induction practices? (b) What can we learn about the relationship between induction policy and practice, including its influence on mentors and work? Our analysis finds that how the problem of induction is defined shapes the nature and duration of support offered and the programmatic tools and resources provided. Our analysis further shows that mentoring emerged the favored policy instrument, although provisions for mentor training varied considerably. To support the kind of teaching demanded by todays reforms, beginning teachers will need mentors who are skilled in helping them learn in and from practice. Consequently, induction policy will need to focus attention equally on new teachers and their mentors.

Teaching at the boundary of acceptable practice: What is a new teacher mentor to do?

Thoughtful mentoring can shape and challenge a beginning teacher’s practice in educative ways, especially when the novice is well prepared and adopts the stance of a learner. What responsibility does a mentor have when the novice performs at the edge of acceptable practice? Drawing on interview and observation data collected for a national study of new teacher induction, this article explores how a well-supported mentor routinely missed opportunities to address difficulties faced by three novices. Through the construct of professional accountability, the authors argue for a more sophisticated approach to mentoring that blends assistance with standards-based assessment, as found in recent reform proposals. As the pool of new teachers shrinks, the phenomenon of teaching at the boundary of acceptable practice is likely to be exacerbated. This analysis raises timely questions about mentors’ professional obligations to new teachers and the public they serve.

Preservice Teacher Understandings of Adolescent Literacy Development: Naive Wonder to Dawning Realization to Intellectual Rigor.

How do secondary teacher candidates learn about their responsibility for the ongoing literacy development of their students? How do they gain the understandings and knowledge of instructional practices necessary to meet this responsibility within their content teaching? The authors document three stages of development their students progress through in the two integrated preservice courses they teach. In the first stage of “naive wonder,” the students exhibit enthusiasm for adolescent literacy development but provide only superficial, simplistic, and cliched responses. At the stage of “dawning realization,” students begin to recognize the challenges involved and shift their focus from themselves as teachers to their students as learners. By the end of the two integrated courses, the students were in the third stage and approaching their responsibility for literacy development with intellectual rigor.

Teacher Leader Model Standards Implications for Preparation, Policy, and Practice

Teacher leadership is increasingly recognized as a resource for instructional improvement. Consequently, teacher leader initiatives have expanded rapidly despite limited knowledge about how to prepare and support teacher leaders. In this context, the Teacher Leader Model Standards represent an important development in the field. In this article, we use findings from the content analyses of four preexisting teacher leader preparation programs to identify strengths and gaps in these new standards. Our aim is to invite critical dialogue about the standards to improve their utility for strengthening teacher leadership preparation, policy, and practice.

Gaining Confidence, Managing Conflict: Early Career Conceptions of Teacher Leadership During Graduate Coursework

Increasingly, graduate programs in education are promoting the development of teacher leadership. Yet the discussion on how to prepare teachers for leadership roles and responsibilities is only beginning. In this article, we draw on the written reflections of early career teachers enrolled in a curriculum and instruction masters program so that we might better understand their conceptions, experience, and interest in leadership. Study findings highlight the promise and challenge of preparing early career teachers for a range of leadership roles and responsibilities. Although I feel proficient in most areas of my teaching, I am still working on becoming a teacher leader in my school community. As I discovered through my reading and critical reflection, I frequently fear taking on the role of teacher leader because I attempt to avoid conflict with more veteran teachers and I have not embraced my confidence in teaching to be willing to share my ideas with others. While I believe I am a successful teacher, and my principal and teaching partner frequently compliment my teaching style and ideas, I still am not quite ready to expect others to value my teaching. – Early Career Teacher (Written Reflection, Fall 2008)

Improving Instructional Leadership Through the Development of Leadership Content Knowledge The Case of Principal Learning in Algebra

Instructional leadership is integral to improving mathematics teaching in secondary schools. However, administrators often lack sufficient content knowledge in mathematics to be effective in this role. This study examined the impact of professional development focused on developing leadership content knowledge in algebra. Data included written assessments, case discussions, and interviews from 10 principals. Analysis identified shifts in principals’ algebra content knowledge and their frames for interpreting algebra instruction. Principles improved their connections between mathematical representations and shifted from using frames highlighting teacher characteristics toward using frames highlighting teacher and student thinking. Implications for leadership professional development design are discussed.

Mentors Coaching Principals in Instructional Leadership: The Case of Rebecca and Ramon

This case is told from the perspective of Rebecca, a highly skilled mentor teacher, who struggles to work effectively with Ramon, the school principal.This case focuses on the supports and resources that instructional teacher leaders can provide to their school administrators. As the case suggests, the presence of well-trained mentors presents the field with an opportunity to reconceive traditional views of leadership practice. Ultimately, the case challenges the notion that principals alone are responsible for providing instructional leadership.

Transforming Identities: The Transition From Teacher to Leader During Teacher Leader Preparation.

Since 1997, the Great Lakes Academy has provided leadership development for more than 800 teachers in a large metropolitan region of the Upper Midwest. Graduates of the 2-year program often describe their experience as transformative, life changing, and profound. To understand the meaning and impact of this transformation, the author used Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning as a lens for analyzing the written reflections of recent graduates and interviews with teachers who completed the program 2 years earlier. Study findings highlight the importance of identity transformation as a critical step in the preparation of teacher leaders.

Teacher Leadership: Practices, Politics, and Persistence

In recent years, the federal role in educational reform and policy making has steadily increased, bringing with it new priorities, initiatives, and policies. Chief among them: districts, schools, and now individual educators are being held accountable for steadily improved student test scores. As the public stakes for schools have increased, however, so have the pressures on educators to perform with skill and confidence. Arguably, the corresponding increase in teacher-leader roles is a logical response to this shifting landscape. Instructional coaches and data specialists are being hired to support teams of teachers as they strive to better meet student academic and learning needs. New teacher mentors are charged with bringing novices up to speed on building-wide instructional programs, curricular resources, and behavior management systems. Grade level and department chairs are leading the development and implementation of common assessments, while school improvement chairs are planning professional development experiences and leading Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings. As these examples illustrate, teachers are central to the instructional change process. As such, teacher leaders have become an integral part of many school-reform initiatives.

What’s Under Your Bed? A Fundraising Fiasco

Student clubs and sports often struggle to raise funds. With limited revenue streams, coaches or advisors and parents routinely find themselves managing candy sales, car washes, raffles, and ticketed fundraisers to support programming. In this case of a swim team fundraiser, school leaders see the range of problems that can occur when a routine practice—extracurricular fundraising—goes awry. With Cressey’s fraud triangle as a backdrop, readers learn to deter and prevent financial mismanagement and fraud through the development of internal operating procedures and oversight.