No abstract

No abstract

Background/Context A review of the literature demonstrates that schools are frequently called upon to improve by developing high levels of teacher collaboration. At the same time, there is a paucity of research investigating the extent to which teachers’ collaborative school improvement practices are related to student achievement. Purpose The purpose of this study was to review the literature and empirically test the relationship between a theoretically driven measure of teacher collaboration for school improvement and student achievement. Setting The data for this study were drawn from students and teachers in a large urban school district located in the midwestern United States. Population The population for this study came from the elementary schools in one large midwestern school district. Survey data were drawn from a sample of 47 elementary schools with 452 teachers and 2,536 fourth-grade students. Research Design Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was the primary analytic method. Survey data were collected approximately 2 months before students took the mandatory state assessments, which provided the scale scores that served as dependent variables in this research. HLM accounted for the nested nature of the data (students nested in schools). This was a naturalistic study that employed secondary data analysis. There was no intervention, treatment, or randomization. Naturally occurring differences in teachers’ levels of collaboration were measured, and statistical controls for school social context were employed. At the student level, the study employed controls for children's social and academic backgrounds. Data Collection and Analysis Data were obtained from teachers and students in the sampled schools. Teacher data were obtained via a survey assessing teacher collaboration. Student data were obtained from the central administrative office of the school district for all students who attended sampled schools during the year in which we surveyed teachers. Results Results of HLM analyses indicate that fourth-grade students have higher achievement in mathematics and reading when they attend schools characterized by higher levels of teacher collaboration for school improvement. Conclusions The authors suggest that the results provide preliminary support for efforts to improve student achievement by providing teachers with opportunities to collaborate on issues related to curriculum, instruction, and professional development. The authors also discuss the need for more research on the effects of different types of collaborative practices using more representative samples.

This study uses a randomized design to assess the impact of the Balanced Leadership program on principal leadership, instructional climate, principal efficacy, staff turnover, and student achievement in a sample of rural northern Michigan schools. Participating principals report feeling more efficacious, using more effective leadership practices, and having a better instructional climate than control group principals. However, teacher reports indicate that the instructional climate of the schools did not change. Furthermore, we find no impact of the program on student achievement. There was an impact of the program on staff turnover, with principals and teachers in treatment schools significantly more likely to remain in the same school over the 3 years of the study than staff in control schools.

No abstract

No abstract

Background/Context Teacher collaboration, instructional practices, and efficacy are linked in various ways in the literature. For example, in schools where teachers reported greater use of differentiated instruction, team collaboration and culture were reportedly higher (Smit & Humpert, 2012). Further, teachers’ instructional mastery experiences lead to higher efficacy (Tschannen-Moran & McMaster, 2009). Tomlinson (1995) suggests that getting teachers to continue using differentiated instruction requires those teachers to experience quick success (i.e., mastery experiences that lead to increased efficacy). Bruce, Esmonde, Ross, Dookie, and Beatty (2010) found that teachers with high efficacy were more likely to try challenging instructional approaches that required taking risks in their classrooms and to use assessments. Based on our literature review, we hypothesized that teachers’ reports of their collaborative practices would be related to their teaching efficacy when mediated by their reported differentiated instruction use. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine connections between teachers’ perceptions of their collaboration, their reported use of differentiated instruction (a particular instructional practice), and teacher efficacy in high-poverty rural schools in a Midwestern state. Participants Survey, demographic, and assessment data were collected for 95 elementary schools, 1,623 elementary teachers, and 4,167 students in rural high-poverty areas located in the northern regions of a Midwestern state. Research Design Data from the first year of a large-scale, longitudinal randomized control trial designed to evaluate the effects of a leadership training program were used for this study. Data Collection and Analysis Survey data containing collaboration, differentiated instruction, and teacher efficacy scales were collected from teachers during regularly scheduled faculty meetings. Demographic and achievement data were collected from a state accountability data system. We employed multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) to analyze our data, allowing us to take into account the nested structure of the data (i.e., teachers’ responses nested within schools). Results After controlling for school- and student-level characteristics, we found positive, statistically significant connections between teacher collaboration and teachers’ reports that they differentiated instruction (β =.43, p<.001) and between differentiated instruction and teacher efficacy (β =.38, p<.001). Conclusions The results are potentially significant for researchers and practitioners interested in approaches to improving teacher practices and strengthening efficacy beliefs. Our outcomes demonstrate the importance of teachers’ collaborative work around school improvement, curriculum and instruction, and professional development. Further, our work extends what is known about sources of teacher efficacy. Theoretically, via mastery experiences gained through collaboration and reports of using differentiated instruction in their classrooms, teachers’ efficacy beliefs were strengthened. In sum, district and school leaders, as well as policy makers, should recognize the kinds of supports that teachers need to improve instruction.

No abstract