The New Professionalism? Charter Teachers’ Experiences and Qualities of the Teaching Profession

Abstract

While teacher professionalism remains a contested topic, scholars increasingly acknowledge the field has entered a "new professionalism" wherein its parameters are dictated by management and the organization rather than those within the occupation. Many argue that this shift has served to decrease teachers' sense of professionali sm, efficacy and persistence. Simultaneously, no-excuses charter schools, considered to embrace this new professionalism, continue to proliferate. Yet little is known about how teachers within these schools view teaching and the qualities of teacher professionalism. To address this gap, we interviewed twenty new and novice teachers teaching in high profile charter organizations in the northeast such as Uncommon Schools, KIPP, MATCH, and Boston Collegiate. Our findings suggest that these teachers largely perceived their schools and the degree of professionalism positively. For example, teachers reported Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 26 No. 19 2 that their schools fostered teacher autonomy, professional accountability, and collaboration. However, their schools' high-accountability climates encouraged feelings of competition and caused teachers to question their efficacy, ultimately reinforcing views of teaching as a short-term endeavor. Finally, professional status and rewards were described as low with many teachers saying they felt underappreciated or undervalued. Our findings demonstrate how the climate of "new professionalism" can produce outcomes both consistent and in tension with efforts to professionalize teaching. Keywords: Charter schools; urban education; teacher professionalization; professionalism ¿El nuevo profesionalismo? Las experiencias y cualidades de los profesores autónomos de la profesión docente Resumen: Mientras profesionalismo docente sigue siendo un tema controversial, los académicos reconocen cada vez más que el campo ha entrado en un "nuevo profesionalismo" y sus parámetros son dictados por la administración y la organización en lugar de los que están dentro de la ocupación. Muchos argumentan que este cambio ha servido para disminuir el sentido del profesionalismo, eficacia y persistencia de los docentes. Simultáneamente, las escuelas autónomas "sin excusas", consideradas para abarcar este nuevo profesionalismo, continúan a proliferar. Sin embargo, se sabe poco acerca de cómo los maestros dentro de estas escuelas ven la enseñanza y las cualidades del profesionalismo docente. Para enfrentar esta brecha, entrevistamos a veinte maestros nuevos y novatos que enseñaban en organizaciones charter de alto perfil en el noreste como Uncommon Schools, KIPP, MATCH y Boston Collegiate. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que estos maestros percibieron en gran medida sus escuelas y el grado de profesionalismo de manera positiva. Por ejemplo, los docentes informaron que sus escuelas fomentaban la autonomía de los docentes, la responsabilidad profesional y la colaboración. Sin embargo, los climas de alta responsabilidad de sus escuelas crearon sentimientos de com...

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