‘How do you get the courage to stand up?’ Teachers’ constructions of activism in response to education policy reform

Consensus Is a Journey

“…Other empirical studies of contemporary educator activism exhibit a range of methods, from Collay's (2010) life history of teacher leaders' origins, which positioned activism as a combination of commitment and capacity; to Gilbert's (2021) intentionally participatory approach; to DeMatthews and Tarlau's (2019) unique focus on activist principals, which also illustrates the global reach of educator activism. Race, gender, and class continue to motivate 21st-century educator activism (Brown & Stern, 2018;Lund, 2003;Picower, 2012), which also has discipline-specific variations (Kokka, 2018) and distinct policy catalysts (Warren & Ward, 2020). Despite consistent emphasis on grassroots efforts, scholars have also attended to teacher educators' responsibilities for inspiring and supporting activism, focusing primarily on pre-service programs (Ho, 2015;Montaño et al, 2002;Riley & Solic, 2017).…”

The Professionalism, Accountability, and Work of Teachers in Different Regulatory Regimes

“…Not surprisingly, different forms of resistance to PBA are frequently documented. Warren and Ward (2021) see teachers' activism as an act of re-professionalisation and an attempt to open the possibility of balancing teacher autonomy with external demands made by the accountability system (Ben-Peretz, 2012; cited in Warren & Ward, 2021, p. 12). Falabella (2020), in the Chilean context, identifies a group of teachers "who refuse to be assessed depending on their students' results in trial tests" (p. 16).…”