Restructuring, Teacher Engagement and School Culture: Perspectives on School Reform and the Improvement of Teacher's Work¹

Abstract

Recent educational policy reports in the U.S. have called for significant changes in teachers' work to increase their effectiveness. The paper examines the relationship between the restructuring strategies in two comprehensive high schools and teachers' engagement, which is defined as a multi-dimensional construct. In one school, the restructuring strategies focused on creating a supportive climate for students, and in empowering students and teachers; in the other, emphasis was on developing professional skills of the faculty and strengthening group cohesiveness. The implications of the strategies for teacher engagement are illustrated with case study data. The discussion points to several conclusions: (1) the effects of restructuring are more bounded than is often assumed; (2) a quality of work life framework drawn from the social scientific literatures is useful for analyzing the effects of reform policies on teachers' work; (3) teachers make trade-offs between different types of engagement in order to increase their work satisfaction; and (4) restructuring has potential for increasing teachers' engagement in schools with mixed socio-economic and racial populations.

Earning teachers’ commitment to curriculum reform

“…The contribution of autonomy and discretion to teachers' commitment is evident in studies by Louis and Smith (1991) and by Shedd and Bacharach (1991). Participatory forms of decision making are particularly powerful ways of exercising this discretion (Chase, 1992;Imber & Neidt, 1990;Louis & Smith, 1991;Shedd & Bacharach, 1991).…”

“…Such acknowledgement casts a different light on, for example, the two types of teacher commitment studied by Kushman (1992) and the four forms of teacher engagement described by Louis and Smith (1991). These types and forms of commitment and engagement can be viewed as different content goals.…”

“…Commitment to such initiatives will depend, in part, on the teacher's perception of compatibility between personal goals and the school's goals for change. Louis and Smith (1991) identify such congruence as an indicator of the quality of work life influencing levels of teacher engagement with their work. o An appreciation by teachers of a significant gap between their current practices and those implied by the changes being proposed within their schools.…”

“…o Strong encouragement from credible colleagues about their ability to master the change initiatives. This is a part of one of the quality of work life indicators that Louis and Smith (1991) found to be associated with teacher engagement-frequent and stimulating interaction among one's teaching peers in the school.…”

Leadership and change in schools: personal reflections over the last 30 years

“…Most teachers in urban U.S. schools had experienced dramatic shifts in cultural values and populations, which often left them burned out and with low sense of efficacy. While my research initially examined teachers' quality of work life, my eye was always on what principals and districts could do to stimulate the conditions for change (Louis 1990;Louis and Smith 1991). The need for this kind of research (and accompanying interventions) has not abated, as Hargreaves' and his colleagues recent study of ''change over time'' suggests (Hargreaves 2006).…”