Extending Teacher Reform and Professional Development: The Case of a School on Probation

What pedagogical and curricular changes there were peripheral rather than fundamental. Even for teachers involved in Academy programs, most implementation of activities was atheoretical in purpose, activity-oriented more than structural. Teachers felt pressured to look for quick solutions to increase student's skills and test scores. Their primary aim had become removing the school from probation. Opportunities for teachers to work together increased during the probation years, but time for reflecting and developing better teaching was rare. In a way, probation relief was robbing the school of opportunity to capitalize on its investment in Academy and other professional development programs. The Teachers Academy had good ideas for improving teaching but had no power to establish that those ideas were fundamental to the curriculum. The school people were aware of many problems; they worked hard at their jobs and they had a strong commitment to their students. What the school did was to make a sincere effort to rise up-and yet to land very close to the take-off point of four years earlier.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Flores, Carmilva Souza

Contributors dc:contributor

• Stake, Robert E.

• Education, Elementary

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9921686

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/80306