Beyond the Charter Schoolhouse Door: Teacher-Perceived Autonomy

Abstract

This article presents a study that explores the relationship between charter schools and teacher autonomy. The theoretical framework is based on the charter school concept, whereby three policy levers-choice, deregulation, and accountability-lead to various goals for the charter school. One of the first and foremost of these is the enhancement of professional autonomy and opportunities for teachers. The assumption is that teachers who select the schools they want to work at will be more willing to invest their time and energy and be more dedicated to the school. Although charter school legislation has provided significant autonomy for professionals in exchange for accountability, the school-based initiatives that have been under way suggest that the autonomy is not always present.

From Policy to Practice: Implementation of the Legislative Objectives of Charter Schools

“…Another prominent objective of charter school legislation is to afford teachers more influence over decision making so they can better attend to student needs, and thereby improve student achievement (Gawlik 2007). Our results indicate that charter school teachers have experienced greater influence over school operations than regular school teachers.…”

“…We used this to inform our definition of teacher influence over decision making. The extent of teacher influence over decision making within charter schools is unknown (Gawlik 2007). The research on teacher influence in charter schools includes mostly single-state studies and case studies rather than national level studies, and the results are mixed.…”

“…For example, Bomotti et al (1999) interviewed charter and regular school teachers in Colorado and discovered that charter school teachers reported greater influence over classroom decisions such as disciplining students and setting policy on the grouping of students. However, others have found that the perception of influence varies by state and school (Gawlik 2007). Crawford (2001) and Crawford and Forsyth (2004) surveyed charter and regular school teachers in Colorado and Michigan and found that charter school teachers in Colorado perceived less influence than regular school teachers; however, no difference was found in Michigan.…”

“…Though consistent with the intent of charter school legislation, the magnitude of our results suggests this objective has not been fully realized in practice. According to a recent literature review (Gawlik 2007), the extent to which teachers experience greater influence over decision making within charter schools is unknown. Thus, our results regarding the differences between charter and regular schools in terms of teacher influence represent a significant advance in knowledge.…”

“…Curiously, 72 percent of states with charter school legislation specify more accountability as an objective, while only 27 percent of such states specify increased autonomy (Smarick 2005). Autonomy frees charter schools from a number of constraints normally placed on personnel, financial, and curricular decisions, and this freedom is thought to lead to improved student achievement (Gawlik 2007). Without substantial autonomy, charter schools can neither provide more educational options (Bulkley and Fisler 2003) nor increase teacher influence over decision making.…”