High School Professional Communities: Implications for Educational Practice

High School Professional Communities: Implications for Educational Practice Joan Talbert Stanford University Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

CRC’s research on high schools and reform initiatives: 1987-2003 • Sixteen school study (OERI) • Math department research (NSF) • Students at the Center evaluation (Wallace-RD) • Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (Hewlett) • Bay Area High School Study (Johnson) • The Learning Partnership (MacArthur) Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

Themes for discussion • How high school departments (and, for us middle school departments & elementary grade levels) differ. • The ways in which those differences matter for students. Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

Types of Professional Communities • Strength and Character of the Teacher Community • Weak • Strong 2. Culture of Practice a. Traditional b. Innovative

School Weak Teacher Communities Strong Teacher Communities Culture of practice Individual values & beliefs Learning Community Traditional Practices Innovate Alone Enact Traditions

Types of Professional Communities STRENGTH & CHARACTER of TEACHER COMMUNITY Weak CommunityStrong Community CULTURE OF PRACICE Traditional Rancho Onyx Ridge Valley Rancho Math Dept Washington Academy Monroe Highlander Dover La Salle Esperanza Scholastic Innovative Ibsen Greenfield Prospect Esperanz Math Dept. Oak Valley Eng. Dept.

The Strength of Department Communities Differs Widely within Comprehensive High Schools: A Case Illustration

Department Community Cultures Differ in Ways Fundamental to Teaching • Technical culture – conceptions of students, content, pedagogy and assessment • Professional norms – collegial relationships and views on teaching expertise • Organizational policies – norms for course assignment and resource allocation Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

Professional Community Type Weak Traditional Community Strong Traditional Community Learning Community Technical Culture Students Students differ in ability to succeed academically All students can achieve at high academic standards Student role as learner Passive role in content learning Passive role in content learning; Active role in advanced classes Active role in content learning for all students Content Text-based subject content Sequential, hierarchical subject topics and skills Core discipline-based concepts and skills spiraled through curricula Pedagogy Knowledge transmission; Emphasis on text coverage Knowledge transmission; Emphasis on teacher lecture Bridging subject and student knowledge; Assessment practices Text-based homework and tests; Curve grading Special tests for screening and sorting students; Curve grading Performance assessments using standards-based rubrics; Feedback for improvement Department Communities Differ in Technical Culture

Professional Community Type Typical (Weak) Community Strong Traditional Community Learning Community Professional Norms Collegial relations Isolation enforced by norm of privacy Coordination around course tracking and student testing Collaboration around teaching and learning; Mentoring/Coaching Views on teaching expertise Expertise as developed through private practice and experience Expertise as based in discipline knowledge and professional status Expertise as collective, based in knowledge shared and developed through collaboration Department Communities Differ in Professional Norms

Professional Community Type Typical (Weak) Community Strong Traditional Community Learning Community Organization Policies Teacher course assignment Prerogative of seniority Teacher tracking by expertise Course rotation and sharing for equity and teacher learning opportunities Resource allocation Tenure-based access to resources Resource access according to teacher expertise and “track” Collective definition of resource needs and sources; Resource creation and sharing Department Communities Differ in Organizational Policies

Teacher Learning Community Matters for High School Students’… • Effort in particular classes/ subjects • Experience of teacher-student respect • Role in the classroom • Class self-efficacy Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

Students’ School Experiences Reflect their Teachers’ Professional Community

High Schools with Strong Teacher Learning Communities Show Greater Gains on SAT-9

Traditional Communities: Success with traditional students; limited success with all students. Learning Communities: Success with traditional students; increased success with nontraditional students Educational Outcomes

Through Inquiry and Collaboration, Teacher Learning Communities Develop Local Knowledge About: • Ways in which particular students’ prior knowledge, skills, and culture frame their learning and teaching opportunities • How to address diversity in a particular school/ classroom • What instructional strategies and materials actively engage students in constructing new knowledge and skills • Ways of organizing teachers’ work for professional learning and improvement Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

Leadership for Learning Community… • Enforces beliefs that all students and all teachers can learn • Creates place and times for gathering • Models and nurtures an “inquiry stance” for teaching • Develops structures for collaborative work around teaching and student learning Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

Next Steps….. Center for Researchon theContextof Teaching

High School Professional Communities: Implications for Educational Practice