Teacher perceptions of influence, autonomy, and satisfaction in the early Race to the Top era

Abstract

In the present study, hierarchical linear modeling with random intercept models was used to estimate the impact school and teacher-level factors had on K-12 teachers’ perceptions of school influence, curricular and pedagogical autonomy, and job satisfaction in the early years of the Race to the Top Era. The main predictors investigated were whether students’ standardized test scores were used as a component of either a teacher’s formal teacher evaluation or compensation, as well as whether teachers worked in a Race to the Top state. Additional school- and teacher-level predictors included percentage minority teachers and students, urbanicity of the school, teacher grade band, years teaching experience, and annual base salary. The study’s findings include statistically significantly yet small, negative correlations between teaching in a RTTT Phase I or II state at the time of the survey and teachers’ perceptions of their school-level influence, curricular autonomy, and pedagogical autonomy. In addition, the use of SGM measures in teacher evaluation, compensation, or both, statistically significantly negatively predicted both teachers’ pedagogical and curricular autonomy, as well as job satisfaction. These findings are consistent with previous studies that found teachers’ classroom autonomy and job satisfaction to be lessened post-NCLB (Crocco & Costigan, 2007; Faulker & Cook, 2006; Huss & Eastep, 2011).

Relationships between teacher influence in managerial and instruction-related decision-making, job satisfaction, and professional commitment: A multivariate multilevel model

“…This means that policies and practices that support increased teacher involvement in decision-making related to school management may help raise teacher job satisfaction and professional commitment—key organizational outcomes for schools. This finding is consistent with a large body of prior research on teacher job satisfaction (Bogler and Nir, 2010; Carolyn and William, 2005; Kelly, 2004; Scott-Ladd et al, 2006; Shen et al, 2012; Stockard and Lehman, 2004; Wright et al, 2018; Xia et al, 2015) and teacher professional commitment (Bogler, 2005; Liu, 2007; Riehl and Sipple, 1996; Scott-Ladd et al, 2006; Somech and Bogler, 2002). Indeed, researchers note that when teachers are highly involved in decision-making, they feel a greater sense of ownership and commitment to their profession and schools, which in turn leads to greater job satisfaction and retention (Brezicha et al, 2020; Ingersoll, 2003; Leech and Fulton, 2008).…”

“…Teacher job satisfaction is associated with individual involvement and power in various types of school decisions (Brezicha et al, 2020). Many studies show that teacher job satisfaction is positively related to the extent of classroom control and influence in school decision-making (Bogler and Nir, 2010; Carolyn and William 2005; Kelly, 2004; Scott-Ladd et al, 2006; Shen et al, 2012; Stockard and Lehman, 2004; Wright et al, 2018; Xia et al, 2015). Teacher participation in school decision-making depends on preferences, interests, expertise, and demand- or support-generating processes.…”

Improving Teacher Evaluation: Walking the Talk of Standards-Based Grading

“…In response to the federal government's 2011 Race to the Top (RTT) initiative, which tied federal funding to student achievement and teacher evaluation, some states have focused on value-added models (VAM) of teacher evaluation (McCaffrey et al, 2004;Wright et al, 2018). While the federal government's passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 lessened the required elements of standardized assessment scores as related to teacher performance, it is still unclear whether today's teacher evaluation prioritizes accountability or teacher growth (Close et al, 2020;Close et al, 2019).…”