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    The power of teacher agency

    Why we must transform professional learning so that it really supports educator learning.

    By Laurie Calvert
    April 2016
    It may be a well-worn trope, but for many educators, the problem with professional learning really is a modern example of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” On the one hand, school leaders need professional learning to implement successfully a range of teaching and learning initiatives driven by the state and district. They rely on professional development to ensure the success of systemwide improvements, such as college- and career-ready standards and closing gaps. They count on educators keeping up with research to teach shifting student populations, use technology effectively, and make use of emerging information about the science of learning. On the other hand, something seems to hamper professional learning and impede our ability to roll out systemwide improvements. What if the very professional development strategies that

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    Authors

    Laurie Calvert

    Laurie Calvert is a National Board Certified teacher who taught for 14 years in western North Carolina. She served as the U.S. Department of Education’s first teacher liaison from 2010 to 2015 and is director of communications and marketing for National Network of State Teachers of the Year.

    This article is adapted from the report Moving From Compliance to Agency: What Teachers Need to Make Professional Learning Work (Calvert, 2016). The full report is available at www.learningforward.org/publications/teacher-agency.

    What District And School Leaders Can Do to Improve Education Agency in Their Professional Learning Systems

    1. Make all professional learning decisions only in serious consultation with teachers and principals. Ensure at least 50% teacher representation on school and district teams that are responsible for every stage of decision making, from planning and data analysis to design, implementation, and evaluation.
    2. Rethink organization of the school day so that educators have time to meet regularly to collaborate with colleagues to improve teaching and learning.
    3. Involve and support teachers in analyzing data and identifying teaching and learning challenges.
    4. Establish learning communities where educators solve problems of practice and share responsibility for colleague and student success.
    5. Give teachers choices regarding their professional learning, including with whom they work and where they focus their learning.
    6. Ensure that professional learning is for the purpose of continuous growth, not evaluation.
    7. Resist the temptation to scale up or mandate a particular form of professional learning without thoroughly examining the context in which it will be implemented. Understand that learners must want to improve their practice and see how the learning opportunity will help them do so.

    References

    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (2014). Teachers know best: Teachers’ views on professional development. Seattle, WA: Author.

    Calvert, L. (2016). Moving from compliance to agency: What teachers need to make professional learning work. Oxford, OH: Learning Forward & NCTAF.

    Knowledge Delivery Systems. (n.d.). Professional development: Quality, impact and outcomes. What is your professional development return on investment (ROI)? New York, NY: Author.

    Layton, L. (2015, August 4). Study: Billions of dollars in annual teacher training is largely a waste. The Washington Post. Available at www.washingtonpost.com.

    Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

    Noonan, J. (2014, Summer). In here, out there: Professional learning and the process of school improvement. Harvard Educational Review, 84(2), 145-161.

    TNTP. (2015). The mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. Washington, DC: Author.

    Image for aesthetic effect only - Laurie-calvert-124x150
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    Laurie Calvert is a National Board Certified teacher who taught for 14 years in western North Carolina. She served as the U.S. Department of Education’s first teacher liaison from 2010 to 2015 and is director of communications and marketing for National Network of State Teachers of the Year.

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